Key Takeaways
Carl Frampton offered public support for Anthony Joshua, praising his impact on the sport while acknowledging the trauma of a recent tragedy:
“A word of support for AJ, a man who's indisputably raised the profile of boxing.”
“I couldn't believe that he walked out of a crash like that… you wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy.”
Frampton admitted he expected Joshua to end his fight with Jake Paul immediately, but said Paul’s survival-first tactics dragged the bout out:
“Jake Paul's tactics were clearly just to not try and win, but just to stay in there for as long as he could.”
Frampton believes the fight ended any serious illusion that Paul could make a legitimate run in professional boxing — while still crediting him for bringing attention and money into the sport:
“But if anybody ever thought that he could do anything serious in the sport, then they don't really know what they're talking about.”
Looking ahead, Frampton says Paul remains a marketable name but would be comfortably beaten by real cruiserweights fighting at their natural level:
“There are some killers in that division… even a European level fighter at the right weight goes through Jake Paul.”
Frampton also addressed boxing’s broader power structure, arguing the sport is healthy enough that it doesn’t need Dana White, while backing Eddie Hearn in any promotional power struggle:
“Boxing doesn't need him.”
“Whether you like him or loathe him, he's an unbelievable promoter.”
Carl Frampton also weighed in on Tyson Fury’s return to boxing:
“He just he just loves it.”
Boxing has always lived between spectacle and substance — and few former champions speak as candidly about that divide as Carl Frampton.
The former world champion sat down to discuss Anthony Joshua’s bout with Jake Paul, what the fight revealed about Paul’s ceiling, and why boxing’s current resurgence doesn’t require outside “saviors.” Frampton also shared his thoughts on Oleksandr Usyk’s next move, Tyson Fury’s latest comeback talk, Terence Crawford’s stance on influencer boxing, and where Canelo’s career goes from here.
(This Q&A has been edited solely for clarity. No quotes have been shortened or removed.)
Support for Anthony Joshua
“A word of support for AJ, a man who's indisputably raised the profile of boxing.”
“I couldn't believe that he walked out of a crash like that. Obviously, deepest sympathies to the people involved and their families, and the death of his two friends. But that's got to be a hard thing to deal with, no matter who you are, whether you're AJ or the average guy in the street, to have to see something like that and see your two very close friends passing away in front of your own eyes — you wouldn't wish it on your worst enemy.”
Reaction to AJ vs. Jake Paul
What was your reaction to AJ vs. Jake Paul?
“I was a little bit surprised how long it lasted, if I'm being honest. But then when I watched the fight, Jake Paul's tactics were clearly just to not try and win, but just to stay in there for as long as he could. And that was almost some sort of a victory for him, to get into round six. I had a few quid on an AJ round one win, and I thought it was the biggest cert in boxing history."
"But it's very difficult when you're an aggressive fighter and someone is running away constantly. It's actually very difficult to catch them if they're not trying to engage. It's hard to nail them clean. And we saw that. I felt like AJ got a little bit frustrated with Jake Paul's movement. Anytime they got close, Jake Paul ended up on the ground or on his knees."
"And the one shot that AJ really hit him with — and only because Jake Paul had kind of slowed down a bit and his legs had tired — was that big right hand that broke his jaw and finished the fight. I thought it was a cert to be over very, very quickly."
"But I think when you go in with that game plan, like Jake Paul did — good journeymen all over the UK can last rounds with prospects and guys that go on to be world champions. And that was Jake Paul's performance. It was like a journeyman not wanting to get knocked out so he can fight again next week. That's what it looked like to me.”
For fans tracking how fights like AJ vs. Jake Paul shift betting markets and public perception, platforms like FanDuel and DraftKings have seen increased interest around crossover boxing events.
Has the Jake Paul Illusion Been Destroyed?
Has this fight destroyed the illusion that Jake Paul could ever make a run in real boxing?
“I think so. I've been involved in boxing all my life, and I feel like I know the game well enough to know that Jake Paul never really had any chance taking the sport up at such a late age to do anything in the game. I think you have to give him credit that he started really late, mid-20s, whatever it was, and he's brought a lot of eyes to the sport."
"I think the stuff that he's done in female boxing has to be commended as well, and how much money he's paying female fighters. But if anybody ever thought that he could do anything serious in the sport, then they don't really know what they're talking about. And if those people did think that Jake Paul potentially was going to be a world champion one day, then I think that's kind of put an end to that.”
What’s Next for Jake Paul?
What’s next for Jake Paul?
“You've got to ask Jake Paul what it is he actually wants. Does he want to try and get into a position to fight for meaningful titles? And if that's the case, then he needs to kind of build himself up and improve the level of opponent that he's facing time after time. He's not a heavyweight, that's for sure. He's a cruiserweight, and quite a big cruiserweight, but there are some killers in that division. I'm not quite sure where he goes."
"If you kind of dissect his resume, take AJ out of the equation, Mike Tyson's been retired for a couple of decades. He's a man who has sciatica and is a similar age to my dad. It wasn't a real fight. Back in Mike Tyson's day, when Mike Tyson was way past his best, say 15 years ago, he'd have battered Jake Paul. If you look through the resume, take AJ away, the only boxer that he's faced is Tommy Fury. And let's be honest, Tommy Fury isn't very good either.”
Will Netflix Back Another Jake Paul Fight?
Do you think that Netflix will invest in another Jake Paul fight?
“Conor McGregor, that's a fight that I could see happening, but again, it's a non-boxer fighting Jake Paul, who can't say he's a boxer now. He trains and lives the life of a boxer, but at the same time, he's okay. He's not very good. Imagine Jake Paul versus Conor McGregor — it would be insane and the buildup would be incredible as well."
"But I'm thinking of the top guys in the cruiserweight division, and there's no one [Paul has a chance against]. Even a European level fighter at the right weight goes through Jake Paul, and he'd beat him really comfortably. So, I don't really know. I think that if he wants to stay involved in the game, we'll see him fighting guys like Conor McGregor — just big names, or maybe old retired fighters. But real fighters in their prime, I don't think he'll go near any of them.”
As influencer boxing continues to blur the lines between sport and spectacle, many fans are turning to established betting platforms such as bet365 and BetMGM to follow how odds shift around non-traditional matchups.
Does Jake Paul Deserve Any Credit?
Does Jake Paul come out with any credit?
“He's very, very brave. Even though his performance kind of suggested that he wasn't that brave, because he ran away a lot. But if you've seen AJ up close and personal with your own eyes, he's a mountain of a man. So just to be even in the same arena as AJ and potentially going to fight him, I think shows how brave he is."
"I think you have to give him credit as well for his chin, because the shot that he landed, it broke his jaw. It didn't knock him out. It knocked him down, but he got back up. He's a brave, tough boy. But I think in equal measures, he's probably brave, crazy, and mad all at the same time.”
“Johnny Knoxville Levels of Lunacy”
“I saw a comparison between Jake Paul and Johnny Knoxville.”
“Yeah, it's a bit like Johnny Knoxville type stuff. You could imagine Johnny Knoxville would go and fight AJ and get knocked out as well — probably a lot quicker than Jake Paul, to be honest. But that's the sort of levels of lunacy, I think.”
Dana White and Boxing’s Power Structure
What are your thoughts on Dana White entering boxing?
"He's obviously a very, very good promoter, and we've seen what he's done in the UFC. Dana White knows what he's doing. He's a huge name in the sporting world industry, and especially in combat sports. So no doubt he can come into boxing and do something, but I don't think we need him. He's welcome to be involved in the sport — anybody is, especially people with a profile like him — but boxing doesn't need him."
"Boxing doesn't need someone like Dana White for it to succeed. It's succeeding at the minute. If you looked at boxing seven or eight years ago, before Turki Alalshiek got involved, there was a slight worry that it was a dying sport. We weren't seeing the best fight the best or unification fights. Now we are seeing that, and a lot of that's down to Turki. I don't know what Dana White does in the sport to make it better."
"I don't think he's going to come in and suddenly make boxing bigger than football or anything like that. Boxing is in a really healthy position right now. People are talking about it, people are watching it. It would be great to have someone like Dana White involved — but we don't need him."
Eddie Hearn vs. Dana White
Eddie Hearn is picking a fight with Dana White — who comes out on top in that power struggle?
"Eddie knows this game inside out, just like Dana knows the MMA world inside out and the model they built around the UFC. But if you're asking me who's going to be the one there at the end, I would say Eddie Hearn more so than Dana White. Eddie knows what he's doing. Whether you like him or loathe him, he's an unbelievable promoter."
"I've had my run-ins and issues with Eddie over the years as well, but you cannot deny how important he's been for the sport. I used to fight on Matchroom bills at the start of my career, fighting in leisure centres and places like that. Eddie Hearn doesn't really do fights unless they're stadium fights now. The sport is a completely different place than what it used to be, and I think you have to give Eddie a fair amount of respect for that."
Usyk, Wilder and the Legacy Argument
What are your thoughts on Oleksandr Usyk calling out Deontay Wilder?
"It was a strange one, but when I thought about that and why he would be calling out someone like Wilder, I think if you look at Usyk's record, first of all he's due an easy fight. He's just been fighting the best of the best for as long as you can remember, even back when he was a cruiserweight. He had a couple of easier ones at the start of the heavyweight campaign, but he's done AJ twice, he's done Fury twice, he's done Dubois twice — he's beaten a list of the top names of this era — but he hasn't fought Wilder."
"Although Wilder's past his best right now, I think this is one for Usyk to look back on in 20, 30, or 40 years and say, I cleaned them all out. I beat them all. All the big names of that era, I've beaten. Wilder might be the only one he has left. At his absolute best, Wilder never beats Usyk, and he's nowhere near that level now. I think it will be an easy fight for Usyk, and I think he's due one. Why not have an easier fight against a big name like Wilder — someone who, in this generation, was seen as one of the best heavyweights?"
Usyk vs. Jake Paul in MMA?
Usyk has been vocal about wanting to move into the MMA cage as a different challenge. What are your thoughts on Usyk vs. Jake Paul MMA?
"I think it would be a global event, but I don't know who would win that fight. With MMA rules, Jake Paul probably has a very good chance because of his wrestling background, which would give him a bit of a head start on Usyk."
"That said, knowing the old Eastern Bloc and former Soviet Union countries, and how much wrestling they actually do as part of their training, there's no doubt Usyk can wrestle a little bit himself. Either way, it would be a huge global event."
Would Usyk Risk Rising Contenders?
Would you give Moses Itauma or Fabio Wardley a chance if you were Usyk?
"If I was Usyk, I wouldn't give Fabio Wardley or Moses Itauma an opportunity, just because he's not as young as he once was. He's probably not as good as he once was, even though there are no real signs that he's slowing down yet. But these guys are on the rise, and they're very, very good."
"If he retired now, what an unbelievable career. He would go down, in my opinion, as one of the best that's ever done it — pound-for-pound, not just in the heavyweight division, but ever. It's been incredible what he's achieved, and I don't think people talk about it enough. A fight like Wilder isn't the same as fighting Fabio Wardley or Moses Itauma right now."
"I think he beats Wilder, adds another big name to his résumé, and then sails off into the sunset with maybe another big payday — whatever these guys are getting these days, 20, 30, 35 million, something like that."
Why Tyson Fury Keeps Coming Back
Tyson Fury is teasing another comeback. Why do you think the fire still burns for him to continue?
"I think there's no doubt that he loves the sport. He loves to fight, and even when he retired we've seen the footage of him — he was always running, always hitting bags, always doing something. I think it's important for him to stay active and keep his mind occupied."
"Why does he keep coming back? I just think he loves it. I know other fighters like that. It wasn't me — towards the end of my career I wanted to get out, relax, spend time with my family, and not have to get up early for runs or grind through hard rounds in the gym. But Tyson is someone who genuinely enjoys it. I think this is the fifth time he's come out of retirement or something like that, and I have the feeling Tyson Fury will keep fighting for as long as the British Board of Control gives him a licence. He just loves it."
Fury’s Options Moving Forward
Who should Fury fight?
"When there were rumours of him coming back, I thought the only fight really for him was the AJ fight. But I can't see that happening now because of the situation AJ's in at the minute, so I don't really know what he’s going to do."
"He could fight someone like Fabio Wardley, who's a world champion, but there's a very good chance Fabio Wardley beats Tyson Fury at this age. In his prime, Fabio Wardley wouldn’t live with Tyson Fury, but right now I feel like he has a good chance of beating him. And that, in turn, affects Tyson's legacy and everything else."
"So I don't really know what they do. Do you give him a gimme fight? Even if he gets a warm-up fight, that’s going to be criticised too. I think he's in a really difficult position. The only fight for me was the AJ fight, and without that looking likely for the foreseeable future, I genuinely don’t know what he does."
Crawford’s Line in the Sand
What did you make of Terence Crawford turning down Jake Paul?
"I think it's admirable that he stayed away from that. When we talk about the four kings — Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, Tommy Hearns, and Roberto Durán — we'll be talking about Terence Crawford in the same breath in 30 or 40 years’ time. The guy is incredible, and what he's done throughout his career has been unbelievable."
"He's not obnoxious, he's not loudmouthed, he's not braggadocious, and he comes across like a real family man. He's an unbelievable fighter, and I think you have to give him all the credit in the world for turning down a Jake Paul fight. It could have made his bank balance a lot bigger, and it would have been an easy fight for him, but it might have hurt his legacy. The fact that he said, “I only fight real fighters,” deserves huge respect."
Canelo’s Next Chapter
What’s next for Canelo, and does Hamzah Sheeraz beat him?
"I would have Hamzah Sheeraz as the favourite against Canelo at this stage. Hamzah is a big, tall, rangy, lanky guy, and he's very good at fighting in the pocket. But sometimes he does that when he doesn't need to — if he keeps things long, these shorter guys don’t need to get near him."
"If he did fight Canelo, I think Canelo would have opportunities because Hamzah does like to fight in the pocket at times. But overall, I would still have Hamzah as a big favourite in that fight."
"What else is Canelo doing? I'm not so sure. He’s had an incredible résumé and an unbelievable career — he’s fought everybody. If he doesn’t fight someone like Hamzah, maybe it’s another super middleweight champion, but are those fights really appealing? I don’t know."
"I think he wants to go out on a big win. His career wouldn’t be defined by the Terence Crawford defeat, but he doesn’t want to retire on a loss. I’d love to see Canelo retire, but I just don’t see it happening. And I can see some of the young guys coming through right now beating him."
