Boxing journalist Adam Catterall didn’t hold back after Anthony Joshua dismantled Jake Paul during their December 19 heavyweight showdown at the Kaseya Center in Miami. While the fight was streamed live on Netflix and Paul walked away with a $50 million payday, plus a double-broken jaw that required surgery, Catterall used his talkSPORT platform to deliver scathing criticism of the performance, dismissing it as an ‘elitist bank robbery’ rather than a boxing match.
Adam Catterall reveals Jake Paul’s ring strategy: 13 takedown attempts and one real punch
The crux of Catterall’s judgment revolves around Paul’s refusal to actually fight. Compubox Statistics show that Paul landed only 16 punches out of 56 attempts in 5.5 rounds, an accuracy rate of 28.6% that demonstrates his offensive futility.
Meanwhile, Joshua made 48 shots out of 146 shots thrown, with an accuracy of 61%. Instead of trading with the heavyweight champion, Paul performed what Catterall describes as an avoidance marathon, running circles around the ring, clinging when cornered and repeatedly diving at Joshua’s legs.
“He would get on his bike, run away when he got tired, and dive to the ground,” Catterall explained, emphasizing that these were not knockdowns but deliberate diving tactics. The documentary evidence supports this: Paul fired thirteen takedown attempts during the fight, effectively MMA-style leg diving into a boxing ring, making it clear that his strategy prioritized survival over sport.
Catterall’s most trenchant criticism was directed at the narrative surrounding Paul’s supposed courage. The moment Joshua found his mark in round six and landed a single clean right hand that shattered Paul’s jaw, the fight ended. For a fighter who spent most of the evening running and diving, getting paid nine figures to take one meaningful punch hardly qualifies as bravery.
“There’s nothing brave about that. Everyone has a price,” said Catterall, who described it as a simple financial transaction rather than athletic heroism. He likened it to a playground question: Would most people put up with shots from a heavyweight champion for $50 million? Of course they would, not because they are brave, but because money runs your life
The journalist had particular contempt for the performance itself and dismissed it as boxing theater and not as sport. The Florida Athletic Commission’s decision to sanction it as a legitimate professional boxing fight concerned Catterall, given the disparity between the fighters and Paul’s continued evasion tactics.
When the bell rang and the boxing started, Jake Paul was thoroughly exposed, spending 5.5 rounds doing everything but the actual boxing.
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