"Permanent brain damage" - Fans react as Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua face off for the first time

After his fight with Gervonta Davis fell through, Jake Paul is now gearing up to take on Anthony Joshua in a Netflix boxing blockbuster this December. Following the pair's recent face-off, many in the fight world believe that 'The Problem Child' may have signed up for far more than what he bargained for.

Earlier this Friday, the fighters faced off for the first time ahead of their eight-round boxing clash scheduled for Dec 19. at the Kaseya Center in Miami. And the moment they squared up, the gargantuan size difference between them became ever more apparent.

If the boxing world was worried about the undersized 'Tank' facing Paul, this time around, the roles have been flipped. This time, it is Paul who is playing David to Joshua's Goliath. Standing at 6'6", the former unified heavyweight champion towered over the 6"1 social media star.

Check out Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua's first face-off below:

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And it isn't just the height. While 'AJ' is a seasoned, full-fledged heavyweight, cruiserweights seem to be 'The Problem Child's' natural weight class.

True to form, the pair's face-off sent fans into a frenzy, with many taking to social media to share their thoughts.

@dmr1619 wrote:

"Such a win/win for Jake. Obviously, he's not going to win. All he has to do is make it further than Ngannou, and it'll be a victory. Plus, he gets tens of millions. Only way he loses is if he gets permanent brain damage, which I guess would happen lmao."

@frankymagana opined:

"If Jake doesn’t get KO’d in the first round, it’s fixed."

@Infamooss chimed in:

"Moment of silence for any brain function Jake Paul may have had left."

Check out a few more comments below:

Screenshots courtesy: @ChampRDS on X

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Anthony Joshua sends a spine-chilling warning to Jake Paul

Anthony Joshua appears to be taking the Jake Paul fight every bit as seriously as any other fight in his pro boxing career. And when the bell rings at the Kaseya Center on Dec 19. The 35-year-old intends to give the social media icon a thorough beating.

At the press conference ahead of their first face-off, the former two-time unified world heavyweight champion sent a spine-chilling message hinting at the reckoning to come:

"I'm going to break his face. I'm going to break his body up. I'm going to stomp all over him. That's my mentality, that's a fighter's mentality. I know what's in my heart, I know what's in my mind, and I'm here to compete. I'm here to prove myself, I'm the better fighter. I'm looking forward to it, and I'll do that until I finish fighting, no matter who it is. I'm going to want to hurt him. I'm going to really want to hurt him in the ring. That's what I'm going to do, that's what I'm here to do."

Edited by Ujwal Jain