Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua's boxing match is a dangerous betrayal of sport

By Simon Smale, ABC Australia

Analysis - If nothing else, there is one indisputable truth about the sport of boxing - it is not a sport that you play.

"You don't play boxing," five-weight world champion Sugar Ray Leonard once said, a sentiment similar to those echoed by countless fighters and pundits before and since.

"You really don't. You play golf, you play tennis, but you don't play boxing."

The risks are enormous, and the examples of just how catastrophically things can turn when inside the squared circle are countless.

It's why Jake Paul's announced fight against Anthony Joshua is so reckless that foolish doesn't cover it.

Even to call it idiotic is kind.

The YouTuber-turned-upstart boxer has announced that he will step into the ring against the 2012 Olympic super heavyweight gold medallist and two-time unified heavyweight champion of the world at the Kaseya Center in Miami on December 19.

Boxing's propensity to plumb new depths of moral ambiguity is not new, and its shady and objectionable quest for ever larger purses at the expense of genuine sporting merit is a constant yet accepted gripe among fans.

But this has the potential to be another disaster - largely avoidable - played out in front of a gore-hungry public who care little for the outcome beyond baying for the sight of blood.

Boxing is dangerous.

Men and women have died in the ring.

Even if dramatic, instant catastrophes are mercifully rare, the well-documented long-term effect of having one's brain pounded by another person's fists in the name of entertainment means that those catastrophic outcomes are almost inevitable one way or another.

As was the fear ahead of Paul's shambolic fight against Mike Tyson - a fear that was thankfully not realised - the prospect of serious damage being done is very, very real.

Only this time, it's Paul in the firing line.

He alluded to the fact that this was not a game when announcing the fight.

"This isn't an AI simulation. This is Judgement Day," the 28-year-old said.

Yet the bravado of a man not entirely sure what he is getting into immediately shone through, perhaps suggesting that he believes he is, in fact, in some kind of glorified show in which he is the undoubted star.

"When I beat Anthony Joshua, every doubt disappears, and no-one can deny me the opportunity to fight for a world title," he said.

"To all my haters, this is what you wanted."

Joshua, without question, marks the toughest opponent of Paul's ring career.

A professional record of 28-4, with 25 KOs - all in the monstrous heavyweight division - is one thing. A massive, 198-centimetre, musclebound frame and a boxing pedigree built from numerous battles against the world's very best is another.

The only stipulation is that Joshua must come in at under a catchweight of 245 pounds (111.1 kilograms) - the first time he has had to fight under a limit in his career.

He most recently weighed in at 114.3kg for his fight against Daniel Dubois. Paul has never weighed in at more than 103kg for a fight and most often fights under the cruiserweight limit of 90kg.

Both fighters will wear regulation 10-ounce gloves for the eight, three-minute rounds.

Paul, meanwhile, has a pro record of 12-1 with 7KOs. The pedigree of his opponents is not quite of the same calibre, a collection carefully curated combatants for maximum exposure and minimal risk - if there is such a thing in boxing.

Yes, on paper, former world champion Tyson posed a formidable opponent. But the uncomfortable sight of the then-58-year-old former baddest man on the planet seemingly struggle to muster the power to punch through a paper bag highlighted a different reality.

Aside from Tyson, Paul's opposition has mostly consisted of out-of-shape MMA fighters and, earlier in his career, woefully under-prepared basketball players.

His one defeat came against an actual, active boxer-turned reality TV star, Tommy Fury.

But Joshua is a different kettle of fish.

Yes, the 36-year-old is on the inexorable slide towards retirement and has suffered four career-defining defeats in his last six world title bouts, including a devastating defeat against fellow Brit Daniel Dubois 14 months ago.

But fighting Paul should be beneath him. Stepping into the ring with someone so obviously out of his class will not harm Joshua's considerable ring legacy among the British sporting public - unless he loses, that is.

Which is the biggest issue.

Joshua can't afford to take this lightly. He has to make a statement.

The Briton's threat to "break the internet over Jake Paul's face" is not an idle one.

Rising British heavyweight Moses Itauma summed it up succinctly on BBC Sport.

"He [Paul] just needs to weigh the outcomes," said Itauma, who is one of Joshua's training partners.

"I dunno, 50 million [versus] my health, cars and watches [versus] can't say my name.

"Is it worth it?"

Financially, of course, this will be worth it.

Both boxers will expect to rake in tens of millions from what will likely be one of the most watched sporting events of the year and certainly the highest rated boxing event.

Set to be shown on Netflix on December 19, the event will likely achieve similar numbers to the streaming network's first boxing show - Paul's unsettling bout with the shadow of a man who used to be Tyson.

That was the most-streamed sporting event in history, peaking at 65 million live concurrent streams and drawing an estimated 108 million average live viewers worldwide.

As farcical as Paul's victory over Tyson was, the interest shows there is a sizeable market in it, for a sport that sometimes struggles to get the mainstream attention it used to enjoy in its 1980s heyday.

And, despite the clear issues with that contest and others he has arranged for himself, Paul has made his mark on the sport in more ways than just fighting.

His promotion company, Most Valuable Promotions, is the driver behind the blockbuster women's showdowns between Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor, earning two sporting legends the sort of purse money for their two groundbreaking bouts that their male counterparts regularly command.

A staunch advocate for women's sport, Paul backed out of fighting former lightweight world champion Gervonta Davis - which was, in itself, a ludicrous proposition anyway based on that fact that the 165cm-tall Davis has a fighting weight of less than 60kg, while Paul would typically weigh in at 90kg - after the American was named in a lawsuit by his former partner.

Paul, who described Davis as "an actual walking human piece of garbage", said he "didn't want to give this woman abuser a platform to grow his fans and to grow his bank account".

"My company champions women, " he said.

So what of this fight?

Dangerous. Yes.

Foolhardy? Of course.

Compelling?

"Is it a bit of a circus? Yeah, absolutely," former WBA lightweight champion Anthony Crolla told BBC Sport.

"I think it's an insane situation.

"It will be a very dangerous fight.

"If there were some kind of injuries inflicted on Jake Paul, then there would be a lot of people who would have to answer big questions.

"Anybody who knows boxing can't allow this to be built up like it's a serious fight."

And yet...

"I think it's crazy, but will I watch it? Probably," Crolla said.

He is not alone. The Netflix show will no doubt do enormous numbers and legitimise what should only ever be the wildest fever dream of a fight.

Boxing is not a game.

Let's hope it's not game over.

- ABC