Panic briefly swept social media after Bermane Stiverne claimed Jake Paul’s December 19 showdown with Anthony Joshua was off due to injury. But despite the former WBC heavyweight champion repeating speculation that Paul was hurt in sparring, Stiverne himself admitted his information “might be a lie” and SunSport has confirmed the fight is not cancelled.
Rumors took off when Stiverne suggested Paul had suffered a black eye from Lawrence Okolie during training, implying the bout was in jeopardy. Hours earlier, Paul had teased a “major update” on social media, prompting conspiracies that he was withdrawing.
In reality, Paul’s announcement had nothing to do with the fight - he was unveiling the signing of WBC lightweight champion Caroline Dubois to Most Valuable Promotions. The black eye seen in training was genuine, but not serious enough to threaten the event. Despite online speculation, the eight-round professionally sanctioned bout will go ahead as planned on Netflix.
Stiverne, who admitted he wasn’t sure of the rumor’s validity, still weighed in on the matchup. He praised the business sense behind the event but suggested that if he were advising Paul personally, he’d steer him away from facing Joshua. The only restriction for the former unified heavyweight champion is that he cannot weigh more than 245lbs on fight night - a limit Joshua has already shown he can comfortably make.
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