Anthony Joshua (00:05):
Jake would have either come full steam ahead 100 mile an hour, or Jake would have moved around the ring 100 mile an hour. There's two things I would have done. Tried to shut Jake down at 100 mile an hour or I would have gone on the back foot. So, Jake decided to move around the ring, and I decided to put the pressure on.
(00:25)
What I could have done better is a lot of things, 100%. In the fight game, you've seen the amazing fighters that have graced us over the last 100 years and the expectations that we put on ourselves are immense, but I tried my best. Jake done well while it lasted, but if you remember what I said in the interview with Cameron is, fighting's not just physical, it's psychological. And, when you understand the psychological warfare, I did say to you is that, Jake, what's going to happen? I'm going to see a time when I'm going to take your soul and you're either going to give up or you're going to get knocked out. And, unless you have that instinct, you just will never be a good fighter.
(01:16)
So, I wish that I could have knocked him out at the start, but as we saw tonight, Jake has spirit. He has some heart. He tried his best and I take my hat off to him because, number one, a lot of fighters haven't got in the ring with me, and Jake did. And secondly, even when he got knocked down, he kept on trying to get up and I take my hat off to him. So, America, I think you have someone who could potentially, if he still has the heart for it, come back again, dust the dirt off his shoulder and come again, and maybe set out this center sometime in 2026, maybe against a Gervonta Davis, a Ryan Garcia. Who knows?
Speaker 1 (02:04):
Eddie, I want to follow with you, because when this fight was first announced, you had said something to the effect of, this would end Jake Paul's career. After what you saw tonight, do you think that Jacob should continue to box or what do you think the future holds for him?
Eddie (02:15):
Yeah, look, I really take my hat off. I mean, we have to see. If it is a broken jaw, those injuries are very difficult to come back from. But, as AJ said, that last shot would've knocked out a lot of heavyweights. And I know he went down heavy, but he was conscious on the floor, and I thought his game plan, although obviously very negative early on, which it had to be, was smart at times. And there were times where he held his feet and let his hands go. It was a very one-sided fight. It was always going to be a one-sided fight, but you can't give him anything but credit and respect. There's a lot of negative people out there. There's a lot of people who want to criticize people. They're not doing what Jake Paul's done. He just went in with Anthony Joshua and gave it his best shot. Took a lot of punishment and ended the fight eventually on his feet after the stoppage. So, I think he'll have to see physically how that jaw, I don't know the severity of it. It's very difficult injury to come back from, but he showed he's got ability, and that's what we said.
Anthony Joshua (03:17):
He has, yeah.
Eddie (03:17):
He's dedicated to the game.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
He has got ability. He done well. Last one, AJ. Before this fight, we talked and you said, "I'm not thinking about 2026 until after this fight." Now, what is the plan? Because there was talk about Turki Alalshikh, saying that you would take an interim fight before you would fight Tyson Fury. Can you guys illuminate what the plan is, entering next year?
Anthony Joshua (03:37):
So, the best promoter in the world has been speaking with Turki, his excellency, rear season. And now, he's going to relay those messages and speak to my training team, the right to fight team. They're going to have conversations. They're going to speak to my manager, and everyone's going to see where I'm at. My training team know my body really well. They know what I've been through over the X amount of weeks I've been with them. So, it's up to them to make a decision. They're going to speak with Eddie, and then, hopefully in a week or so, I'll have some news.
(04:16)
I'm a strong guy, I want to push on, but the coaches, it's really up to them. They're the ones that guide me. Fighters will always fight. Coaches are there to guide us.
Kevin Garcia (04:28):
AJ, it's Kevin Garcia, the Puerto Rican KKG, and I just wanted to get your assessment. You've now been in the ring with Jake Paul and Francis Ngannou. What do you think about them comparatively when you assess what they were like up against you?
Anthony Joshua (04:44):
Both good. Both have heart. It takes a lot. That ring walk. Obviously, 1000 fighters have done it before me, but it's a… Imagine sleeping the night before a big fight, and then, you wake up in the morning and you're waiting for that moment when it's time to leave. You get to the changing room, you make that walk. I take my heart off to Francis Ngannou because he's ultimately an MMA fighter and he crossed over into boxing twice. He beat up Tyson Fury and then had a short fight with me, but he walked in that ring twice, credit to him.
(05:21)
Then, Jake Paul, who has been boxing now for five or so years at an elite level, the amount of pressure that's been put on his shoulders and he's lived up to that pressure. I'm not going to say that they're world-class because in our modern day era, there's maybe four, five, six, seven Anthony Joshuas that can punch, that can avoid punches, that know what they're doing in the ring. So, Jake will struggle at top level, but he has a place in boxing if he wants to stay, in my opinion. So, credit him and his team for getting him this far.
Kevin Garcia (05:55):
Thank you. And just one other question for you, Anthony. Can you talk a little bit about, was it frustration, or what was going through your mind when some of the clinching was happening? You had hit him a few times on the… You let him go a few times, but then there was a time on the break where you gave him a few good body shots. What was happening in the ring?
Anthony Joshua (06:11):
So, two things were happening in my mind in the clinches. In the clinch, he done really well. When you're in survival mode, you will always find a way. So, I was trying to look for certain shots. I actually wanted to let my hands go in the clinch, but he done well to tie my hands up. And, as you could see, when they were free, I tried to land a few body shots. And yeah, I tried when I could. It was a bit messy, but from a systematical breakdown, the right hand landed, it found its home, and the referee waved it off after. Did he get counted out or did the ref wave it off?
Eddie (06:52):
I believe he got counted out.
Anthony Joshua (06:54):
So, the right hand found its home.
Eddie (06:56):
Yeah, looking at it.
Anthony Joshua (06:56):
I would've loved to have landed some more body shots, but it weren't for tonight, maybe in the future, but we got the job done in the end anyway.
Jeffrey (07:05):
Congrats on the win, AJ. Thank
Anthony Joshua (07:07):
You, mate.
Jeffrey (07:07):
Jeffrey from the Sun. A question for you, Eddie. There's actually been some rumors around the circuit this week that there's a fight for AJ in February next year against the kickboxing champion, Rico Verhoeven. Is there any legs to that?
Eddie (07:19):
No, we've been talking about a possible fight with Turki Alalshikh. Couple of opponents mentioned. The biggest challenge now, as AJ said, it's eight weeks tonight. He had a very tough camp, eight or nine weeks with a new team who gave him a good working over. So, we will sit down with that team and talk about when he will be ready to return.
(07:41)
So, in an ideal world, that would be the time, but we're going to see when he's ready. Rico, whoever it is, we haven't finalized that yet, but the date really is what we're going to work on over the next four, five, six days because we're not going to rush him back if he's not quite ready, but it won't be long. And the plan is to fight in the spring and then obviously fight Tyson Fury.
Jeffrey (08:05):
AJ, if you had it your way, would you just go in to fight Tyson next or would you-
Anthony Joshua (08:11):
Yeah.
Jeffrey (08:12):
… like one more?
Anthony Joshua (08:13):
Yeah. I would. I would. I would.
Eddie (08:19):
We can do that, by the way, straight away. No interim fights. If Tyson's ready and AJ's ready, we don't have to fight in February or March. I think he's saying he needs to fight.
Anthony Joshua (08:29):
I'll give the dosser eight weeks. 24 hours to sign a contract. Let's see if he's a man.
Raphael Fratto (08:39):
AJ right here.
Anthony Joshua (08:42):
Greedy Belly.
Raphael Fratto (08:49):
Right here. Raphael Fratto with fightnews.com.
Anthony Joshua (08:52):
He's looking saying, let me do the mocking. Go, go, go, go, go, go. Can't wait. We have Tyson Fury's cousin here. Go on, let them hear your skills.
Eddie (09:12):
Tyson, what are you saying about maybe going straight into the fight with no warmup?
Raphael Fratto (09:16):
Well, I'll tell you what, I'll do it right now, 100%. Go back into that Kaseya Center, put that ring together, and put me in with him. 100%.
Anthony Joshua (09:24):
And what's John Fury saying? How's he feeling about a fight?
Raphael Fratto (09:28):
I tell you what, you know it. We all know it. Everyone here in America knows it. It's the biggest fight in boxing. Let's do it, 100%.
Eddie (09:38):
And part of the new team, obviously Oleksandr Usyk. Who do you see winning the fight?
Raphael Fratto (09:43):
For me, you know, I have to go with the teammate. I have to go, but it's a very big fight and we look forward to it, okay?
Anthony Joshua (09:54):
So, obviously AJ is a fan of you, Mike Tyson. What do you think about the fight
Anthony Joshua (10:00):
With him and Tyson Fury.
Andreas Hale (10:02):
I'll tell you what, you know it's huge. There's something so big about it. And I think it's a big fight for British boxing, but not just, it's a big fight globally. But we are in America and I know Donald Trump wants to see it.
(10:16)
It would be great if we could have it in America. It's a big fight.
Anthony Joshua (10:18):
Yeah.
Andreas Hale (10:18):
It's a very big fight.
Anthony Joshua (10:21):
How's Trump? What do you think Trump would say about bringing that fight to the USA?
Andreas Hale (10:24):
We could. We could bring it to the USA. We've got the World Cup here. That's going to be so big. The biggest World Cup you've ever seen in your entire life. So let's have it here. We've got big stadiums.
Eddie Hearn (10:34):
And Mike, I saw earlier when you just spoke, you also turned into Robert De Niro halfway through.
Andreas Hale (10:39):
I did. I did. I enjoyed that.
Eddie Hearn (10:41):
I mean Al Pacino.
Andreas Hale (10:43):
Oh, we're in Miami in Scarface. I got to tell you, I mean, with Jake Paul, you said, "Say hello to my little friend." That's how you did it.
Anthony Joshua (10:52):
I wanted to ask you-
Andreas Hale (10:52):
It is Christmas season, by the way. Joe Pesci likes Home Alone.
Anthony Joshua (10:56):
I wanted to ask you as well, Eubank Sr. about what you thought, how I carried myself with the Warriors Code.
Andreas Hale (11:03):
Yes. I thought you carried yourself very well. I really did. I did that, and it was amazing to see. But I believe your promoter does a far better Chris Eubank Sr. And he doesn't do it in the interviews of me, so I think he should do it right now for me.
Anthony Joshua (11:18):
Anthony Joshua, how do you think you done tonight?
Andreas Hale (11:21):
Listen, man, I'm working on you. I am. I'm working on you. That's it.
Anthony Joshua (11:25):
I'm going to come over there and give you one of these.
Andreas Hale (11:28):
No, man, it's a work in progress. Thank you.
Rafael Fratto (11:38):
Hey, Rafael Fratto with the fightnews.com. AJ, I want to ask you, you mentioned the psychological aspect of the game. It seemed like all your answers, the look in your eyes, everything, you just seem to be very in-tune, very aligned during the lead up to this fight. Was that just your reassessment of the game from being off for that amount of time or the new camp with Usyk and his team or is it just that you're a veteran now and the way you approach the game is different?
Anthony Joshua (12:04):
Good question. New team, they're giving me a spark, a love for the game again. I took a year out. I needed that. Sometimes things can be going 100 mile an hour, just needed to slow it down a bit and actually have a look at what's going on around me. And I think that's been important. And now I can just say, I'm just an athlete. That's what I want to be. I just want to be an athlete now. While I'm still competing and just give it 100%. I don't want to be anything else. I just want to be an athlete. I don't want to be distracted. No, I don't want to be a businessman. I just want to be an athlete and I think that's my business. That's my business. And if I can focus on that, I think I can reign again.
(12:50)
I've still got a lot of passion for the game. And yeah, that's what's happened over the last year, focusing more, taking away a lot of distractions and the team I'm with are pushing me. And I think even though it's hard, I know that's what's needed and I'm welcoming more. I'm welcoming more challenges in the gym. I say it now, but it's what I need if I'm going to be successful in boxing.
Rafael Fratto (13:18):
Well, you can see it shining through and it showed.
Anthony Joshua (13:21):
Sorry.
Rafael Fratto (13:21):
You can see it shining through and it showed leading up to this fight.
Anthony Joshua (13:25):
You can see it?
Rafael Fratto (13:25):
Yeah.
Anthony Joshua (13:25):
For real?
Rafael Fratto (13:26):
I definitely felt that way.
Anthony Joshua (13:28):
Okay. That's positive then, and long may it continue.
Sarah (13:34):
Hi, AJ.
Anthony Joshua (13:35):
Good to see you.
Sarah (13:37):
Sarah from the athletic. Congrats on the win.
Anthony Joshua (13:38):
Thank you.
Sarah (13:39):
Obviously you said you had 15 months out, a time when I'm guessing you had lots of questions in your own mind. Did tonight answer any of those questions?
Anthony Joshua (13:48):
Well, I wanted to fight. So the question is, I was asking myself, do I actually want to fight? The only way I'm going to find out is if I get in the ring and have a feel for it. So getting in the ring today, I definitely want to fight, but I definitely want to get better as well. So I'm hungry for more. I'm hungry to get back on that gravy chain and just continue everything that I kind of left behind in 2025. I had a tough defeat in my last fight and I just want to… 2024, I had a tough defeat in 2024 and I just want to pick up and move forward again. So yeah, I'm glad that I got back in the ring and I figured out that this is where I want to be. It was a real test for me to figure out if I still want to continue or not. And this was a good eye-opener to say, this is where I want to be. I want to get back in the ring and go again.
Sarah (14:39):
Thanks.
Anthony Joshua (14:40):
Thank you.
Travis Hartman (14:41):
Anthony. I'm Travis with Weighing In with Travis Hartman. I don't know if you remember me, but at the very-
Anthony Joshua (14:46):
You said to Jake about his record.
Travis Hartman (14:49):
I did.
Anthony Joshua (14:51):
He fought better fighters than this person and that, right?
Travis Hartman (14:56):
Yep. And he fought you at his 14th. But do you remember what I asked you?
Anthony Joshua (14:59):
So you asked me, I can't remember.
Travis Hartman (15:02):
So I fought Terence Crawford in the pros. I went the distance with Terence Crawford.
Anthony Joshua (15:06):
You fought who?
Travis Hartman (15:06):
Terence Crawford in the pros.
Anthony Joshua (15:07):
Yeah.
Travis Hartman (15:08):
I went the distance with him, lost the decision on points. But I asked you if you went the distance with Jake Paul, would that be a loss?
Anthony Joshua (15:16):
Okay.
Travis Hartman (15:16):
And you said, yes, I had to knock him out.
Anthony Joshua (15:18):
Yeah.
Travis Hartman (15:18):
So tonight, did it go how you thought it would go? And is it a success for you? I know you won. We all seen that, right? Is it a success for you tonight? I have a follow-up.
Anthony Joshua (15:28):
No. I needed to do better. I needed to do better. Yeah. No, it's a win, but it's not a success. I think my coach expects more from me and I expect more for myself, but what can we do? We can't reverse the clocks. I have to move forward. I have to put that in the past now. After today, you may see a bit of social media trying to lap up all of the algorithm attention, but for me, it's in the past. I can't live off of that win. I've got a lot of improvement that I need to do, so yeah, I'm not happy.
Travis Hartman (16:06):
So I saw you when you were walking out, I got to see you, you're right below me, you were standing there for a little bit. And I was just wondering, did this fight feel like a real fight, like a fight when you go into a heavyweight championship of the world? Did it feel like that? Because to me, it just looked a little different because was it hard for you to really get up knowing that that's not [inaudible 00:16:31], Joseph Parker, all those guys?
Anthony Joshua (16:33):
There was a lot of riding on this fight.
Travis Hartman (16:34):
Yeah.
Anthony Joshua (16:35):
There was a lot riding on this fight, a lot of pressure, a lot of expectations. So I had to perform. A lot of people doubt me. I saw Mauricio Sulaimán put a picture up of Jake. He don't put a picture up on me. A lot of people don't respect me, so there's a lot of pressure. And I had boxing on my back today, and that was what it was really. I took Jake as serious as I needed to, but most importantly, I take myself as serious as I need to. I respect myself, I respect boxing, and I know what it takes to get in the ring. You have to be prepared, and one slip up could cost you in that ring. One slip up could cost you in that ring. As I said, credit to Jake, I'll stand on that. I'm not going to sit up here. If he would have beaten me, he would bash me. You know that, right? Imagine him up here now. They would have torn me and Eddie apart, but I'm not going to do that to Jake. I'm going to give him the credit. But if he wants to stay at the top level at heavyweight, he needs to work harder because it's very difficult. It's a very difficult division to reign in.
Travis Hartman (17:47):
Thank you for what you did for boxing tonight.
Anthony Joshua (17:49):
Thank you, bro.
Eddie Hearn (17:50):
Two more guys.
Anthony Joshua (17:50):
You all right Michelle?
Michelle Joy Phelps (17:52):
Hi. Hey, how are you?
Anthony Joshua (17:53):
Good, you?
Michelle Joy Phelps (17:54):
Michelle Joy Phelps with BoxNation. Anthony, I could be wrong here, but I'd like to have you address this because there was a lot of speculation that in the last year, year and a half, that maybe you had fallen out of love with boxing because we weren't quite sure if we were going to see you back in the ring. I understand why you would take a fight like this because I think for you, it was probably a bit fun, right? Despite the pressure. But was it true? Did you fall out of love with boxing? And if so, how did you find it again?
Anthony Joshua (18:23):
I was trying to fall back in love with boxing. I realized if you're a family, man, I realized that I was working away from home. I was spending time with my friends and my wife wasn't happy. So I had to kind of look up the decisions I was making and I had to come back home to boxing and I had to sacrifice. I had to take a look at my life, make necessary changes to put my love back to the sport. This sport is unforgiving. If you don't give 100% attention, those belts will be torn away from you and be put on someone else's waist who gives it the love and attention that boxing needs. And I wasn't giving it enough love and attention. So it wasn't that I stepped away because I didn't want to fight, it's I stepped away because I knew if I'm going to be in boxing, I need to be 100%.
(19:18)
And that's what it was. And it took me… I gave myself a year. I said, "I'm going to give myself a year." And on September 21st, 2025, the year was done. We normally do 12-week training camp, September 21st, October 21st, November 21st, December 19th, three months of training and we get straight back in the ring. So for me, it was a perfect plan and I don't want to start losing my focus now and go and start socializing and let's get lit, you're popping right now. You know what I'm saying?
Anthony Joshua (20:00):
Your boy's got to try and stay focused. It's difficult. Staying focused takes effort. I do need to though, because as I said, boxing, if you don't give it the love it needs, it will get up and leave and go and spend the night. Your belts will spend the night with someone else. So I need to focus, man. I took the time out because I just wanted to regain the focus I need if I'm going to fight.
Michelle Joy Phelps (20:23):
Joining Oleksandr Usyk, his team, it came a bit of a shock to the boxing world. How did that come about and how did you feel that you guys mashed?
Anthony Joshua (20:33):
So I spoke to Sergey who works with Usyk, and he invited me down to their training camp, ultimately, just to do some rounds. There was nothing more to it, but our schedules didn't align at the time. I spoke to them. I then spoke to Tom Hall, who's a good friend of mine, and he said, "Look, let's try and find some time in your schedule. Put boxing first and go out there. They're a very good team. You want to win. They're winners. If you want to win, surround yourself with winners." Spoke to Eddie. Spoke to family. Everyone said it's a good idea.
(21:10)
I was initially going to go out there for two weeks. That turned into three months. That turned into a fight, and long may continue. It's been a really good experience, a really good eye-opener, and I think I can definitely do more. I've done well. I've become a two-time heavyweight champion of the world, but I think if I would've known what it takes, I think I would've been undisputed.
(21:37)
To the young fighters coming up, you have to work harder. If you really want to win and you really want to get to the top of boxing like Usyk has, you have to work harder. That's what I've learned with these guys. It's hard work doesn't lie. Hard work will give you the results you need. Tonight wasn't perfect, but the result was a win. That only happened because of the work we put in over the last two, three months. So thank you to the team for your efforts. I appreciate it. Thank you to MVP. Thank you to Matchroom. Thank you to everybody involved. I hope I see you guys soon.
(22:14)
For those that celebrate Christmas, enjoy your Christmas. For those that don't, enjoy the festive period. Thank you for your love, appreciation for the sport, and we'll see you soon.
Nakisa Bidarian (22:28):
Thank you. 12, 3s, the knockdown that was almost the knockout, came near the end of the third minute. That speaks to our focus of allowing these athletes to have the opportunity to choose to compete on the same playing field as the men. Alycia, do you want to say a few words before we open it up?
Alycia Baumgardner (22:48):
Yes. First off, thank you everybody just for tuning in. This has been an amazing moment just to be a part of. MVP has done an amazing job with us women, with the team as a unit. I think it's so important to keep highlighting the things that they are doing and having game changers like myself be on the front of everything just to showcase what women have already known to do. That's to be a winner, that's to be a warrior, that's to stand tall, and that's to stand on business and to say, "Hey, we can do 12 rounds, three minutes."
Speaker 2 (23:26):
Questions?
Andreas Hale (23:29):
Andreas Hale, ESPN. Alycia, congratulations. When we talked earlier this week, you said you've been searching for that knockout, and I know you wanted it, but you show some new wrinkles in the game. You worked to the body well, the footwork has improved. Talk about what you've gotten under Derrick James and how much you've been able to showcase that tonight.
Alycia Baumgardner (23:47):
Yes. As mentioned before, I was able to spend more time with Derrick, and we were able to work on a lot of things. When it comes to doing three minutes, it's strategic. You have to set things up. It's not a 2-minute just fight. I wanted to showcase the skills that I have, and you saw that with the jab, you saw that me going to the body, faints, using the ring, utilizing the ring.
(24:09)
I'm so proud of myself because I was able to be in there and do what I love to do. That's the fight, that's the box, that's the punch, that's the move. Derrick and I are continuing to work on this dynamic to really showcase what more there is.
Andreas Hale (24:25):
Now, we all know about the right hand and all of your opponents, they scout that right hand very well, but it finally broke through. How bad did you think you had her hurt? Did you think you were close to a finish?
Alycia Baumgardner (24:34):
Yeah, no. Leila was hurt pretty bad. I could tell I was reading her energy throughout those rounds. Again, my corner was just saying, "Be patient." That two minute mentality was kicking, and I'm like, "No, chill out. You still got another minute." But I knew she was her. Again, I was taking my time and making it look good.
Eli Sponko (24:56):
Hello, this is Eli Sponko with the Split Decision Boxing. Alycia, first 12, 3s, and in this fight, it looked like you were implementing Derrick James' game plan to a tee. You were jabbing a lot. You were landing a lot around her guard. Was that something you were focusing on going into the fight?
Alycia Baumgardner (25:14):
Yeah, absolutely. It was important that when we stepped up to this challenge to do three minutes, that the world was going to see a dynamic fighter, a complete fighter. I think it's important that people know that women like myself can fight, can box, can actually utilize the ring. When we think about boxing, we think about the sweet science and having it look good and setting up punches up and setting up that knockout. So yeah, I listened to my corner, and we look dominant in there, for sure.
Eli Sponko (25:42):
Absolutely. This fight you dedicated to your father, and you said you were going to tear up after the fight. Did you get that chance to let the emotions out and feel everything?
Alycia Baumgardner (25:51):
Man, they're still bottled up and I'm still really seeing them little by little. But just to make it through, the transition, and to make it for another month in camp, and to be in this moment, I'm just happy to be here. Sometimes you just have to continue to see it through. I know my dad's very proud of me, and we have a lot to celebrate.
Eli Sponko (26:13):
My last question's for Nakisa. Nakisa, 2025 was a big year for most valuable promotions. You signed a lot of major world-class talent, you had monthly events, two Netflix cards, the first ever fight night back in August. When you think about the growth of the promotion this year, what do you reflect on it?
Nakisa Bidarian (26:29):
I think it just speaks to the ability to disrupt the sport led by Jake Paul at the forefront for a company that started in August of 2021, so a little bit less than four years ago. I'm excited about what our prospects are going into 2026 in terms of boxing, in terms of women's boxing, in terms of going international, and in terms of getting into different business lines as well.
(26:53)
We've shown we can put on the biggest events in the world with the biggest distributor in the world, and having their support and their confidence and their belief in what Jake and I do on the rest of the team is invaluable.
Eli Sponko (27:03):
Thank you, guys.
Danny Segura (27:06):
Danny Segura for MMA Junkie. For Nakisa, we talked pre-fight, and you mentioned how, initially, you were a bit concerned for Jake, and those concerns kind of went away over time. But now that the fight's over, how concerned were you when Jake stepped in the ring with AJ? Is there a sense of relief now that in the grand scheme of things, obviously he's a bit injured, but all in all, he's all right?
Nakisa Bidarian (27:27):
Yeah. It was interesting. Every time I spoke about this is a dangerous fight or put out a tweet that says, "No matter what happens, he's already won," it turned into you don't even believe in your man. But at the flip side was the event is rigged, Jake's going to win or he's not going to knock him out.
(27:45)
Maybe the powers that be unboxing pay Jake Paul to lose tonight. Maybe that's what happened. Maybe it was a flip rigged, right? Jake was going to kick AJ's. But the reality is, my hope was that nobody would get hurt from the first fight of the night to the last fight of the night. Ultimately, that's what happened.
(28:03)
Ultimately, Jake Paul lasted a lot longer than anyone said he was going to. I haven't seen the official scorecards. I don't know if anyone else has, but I think he might have won a round or two or even three. He was doing tremendously well in there against a person who is vastly more skilled, vastly larger, vastly more powerful. He did it on four weeks preparation.
Danny Segura (28:27):
What would you like to see next for Jake?
Nakisa Bidarian (28:29):
I'd like him to take a beat, relax, and then think about when he's going to fight next. We talked about June, July timeframe. He loves this sport. He loves MVP. He loves the athletes. He loves giving them platform and push.
(28:45)
This young lady right here, the whole time when I was talking to her, I said, "What do you think?" She goes, "Jake's going to win. I believe in him. He can do whatever he wants to do." That's the kind of family that we're building at MVP. It's a fighter first organization. You guys saw our way in yesterday. That stuff costs a lot of money, but we want to put on the best brand for these fighters to show the world what boxing is about.
Danny Segura (29:07):
Just one last question. Alycia, you made history, 3-minute round. Have you thought about that just for a second? Obviously, the win is great and all that, but have you thought about the history that you made for wins boxing?
Alycia Baumgardner (29:18):
I'm so soaking in this win. Like I said, when Nakisa mentioned, "Hey, three minutes, 12 rounds, what do you think? " I said, "Let's do it." To be able to say that I did it, I made history. I'm the best woman fighter there is in the game right now. My skills are a 10 out of 10, and I'm only getting better. That's the thing. You guys see just glimpses of who Alycia Baumgartner is. This was just one of those moments where you saw just a little bit.
(29:48)
So I'm looking forward to what the future looks like and still continuing to fight these 12, 3-minute rounds.
Nakisa Bidarian (29:55):
Again, the knockdown came in the third minute, right?
Alycia Baumgardner (29:57):
That's right.
Nakisa Bidarian (29:58):
That's the critical component of that analysis.
Geoffrey (00:00):
Nakisa Bidarian (30:00):
… analysis.
Geoffrey (30:01):
Nakisa, just down here, [inaudible 00:30:03] from The Sun. Just to follow up on Jake, he said he broke his jaw in the aftermath. Has he gone to hospital? What's the health update on Jake?
Nakisa Bidarian (30:11):
Yeah, we think he broke his jaw. He's fine. We met with Netflix afterwards. He took a shower. He drove himself to the hospital. A broken jaw is very common in sports, particularly in boxing or MMA. And I think the recovery time from the doctors and surgeons we've already talked to is four to six weeks.
Kevin Garcia (30:33):
Hi, it's Kevin Garcia, AKA the Puerto Rican Kid KG. Nakisa, on Jake, when you look at his performance and you think about what Francis Ngannou was able to accomplish or how long he was able to last against Anthony Joshua, what does it say about Jake Paul?
Nakisa Bidarian (30:46):
I think a great, great game plan and preparation. Unbelievable heart. And the reality is Jake lost because of the size difference, not because of the skill difference. AJ was hanging on that neck, pushing him down. And when you have someone that heavy, constantly doing that, it does suck the energy out of you. AJ talked about sucking out or taking out the man's soul. He didn't take out his soul. He did take out his energy and that's when he was able to get the finish.
Kevin Garcia (31:14):
And just a quick follow up. Obviously we don't want to look too far into the future. I know you said Jake wants a break. He's coming off a tough fight, but I mean, it seems written on the wall that that would be an obvious fight to look forward to in the future. Could you see Jake versus Francis Ngannou?
Nakisa Bidarian (31:30):
The whole situation with Francis was very confusing to me. And he's done a couple of interviews back and forth on terms of how he thought about our conversation. I think Francis is a revolutionary when it comes to fight sports. He stood up against the UFC, showed what kind of man he is. And this process was just, again, a little bit confusing for me given who I know who he is as a human being.
Speaker 3 (31:58):
Hi, Alycia. Well done for another spectacular performance. 12 three-minute rounds. First of all, how do you feel? And is that now the standard for fighting you? That's it. If you want to fight me, it's 12, three-minute rounds, or are you willing to go back to two-minute rounds?
Alycia Baumgardner (32:13):
For one, I feel amazing after that performance. And yes, there is a standard and there's high expectations that I have for myself. The expectations that MVP has for me, when you think of an athlete, when you think of someone who is a competitor, you think of Alycia Baumgardner and you think about Alycia stepping up to the plate and showcasing what she always talks about and backing it up. And so yes, it is a standard and I think it only gets better. Like he said, the knockout came that last minute. So I know exactly what that feeling is and I know exactly how I want to do things moving forward.
Speaker 3 (32:49):
Nakisa, one question for you. You have such a brilliant UK stable, now adding Caroline Dubois. Are you looking to expand more into the UK market, potentially TV deals, selling out stadiums with maybe even Jake headlining them?
Nakisa Bidarian (33:03):
Yeah. Look, baby steps in terms of the company in some ways, big steps in others. We've done the biggest events in the world with Netflix over the past 12 months. This is our third event with them. Our goal is to come to the UK sometime in Q1. We're actively working on that analysis. Bryce Holden, our CEO, is leading that charge. We have an unbelievable roster of amazing fighters in the UK already. One of them has been going back and forth with Alycia. And I think to Alycia's credit, she did say it should be three-minute rounds. If and when they both want to do it, they both have to want to do it. We can't force that. But the UK is pound for pound, the most important boxing market in the world. The US is the most lucrative market in the world. So we want to be relevant in both.
Speaker 4 (33:48):
Hey, Alycia. Los with FightHype. First off, congratulations on your win. Dubois, on her post-fight, she said that the next biggest fight in women's boxing is herself and you. What are your thoughts on that?
Alycia Baumgardner (34:03):
Listen, like I said before, she's a puppy, right? And with puppies, they need some potty training and that's what she needs. She needs some potty training before she steps up to a big dog like myself. And like I said, the standard that I'm setting for myself is 12 rounds, three minutes, and I saw her performance. She looked like she got tired and she didn't look like what she talks about. So she knows exactly what she has to do and I know what I'm doing. So there's a difference.
Speaker 4 (34:27):
Absolutely.
Nakisa Bidarian (34:27):
They did both get knockdowns though. I will highlight that point there.
Speaker 4 (34:31):
Absolutely.
Alycia Baumgardner (34:32):
That's cool.
Speaker 4 (34:33):
And Nakisa, question for you. In your mind, what is next for Alycia?
Nakisa Bidarian (34:37):
For what?
Speaker 4 (34:38):
I said, in your mind, what is next for Alycia Baumgardner?
Nakisa Bidarian (34:42):
Headline event when she's ready. That's what's next for The Bomb.
Alycia Baumgardner (34:47):
The Bomb, baby.
Speaker 5 (34:49):
For Alycia, just a little bit of a lighter hearted one. What do you think the dollar value was of the ice in the ring tonight between you and Johnny Dang? And how did that collaboration come about?
Alycia Baumgardner (34:59):
High, baby. High, lot five mil. No, but for real, when we think about performance and we thinking about a brand, I'm so happy to be a game changer in the sport of boxing. Alycia Baumgardner comes with looks, she comes with hooks, she comes with a mouthpiece, and she comes with just a different aura. And I want people to recognize that boxing is more than combat. It's a state where myself is a warrior and I can look like a beauty and I can look like a beast and I can embrace both. And I think this empowers women to understand that you don't have to look one way and you can do it the way you want to. And that's why I love MVP, Jake Paul, Nakisa because they have allowed me and given me a platform like Netflix, shout out Netflix, to be the game changer that I'm doing in the sport of boxing.
Speaker 6 (35:56):
Congratulations to both of you on a great night. Question for you. It seems like every single event, the selling point to the casual viewer is, "Oh, I want to see Jake Paul lose." But it seems like the tide is turning where now the focal point is what you guys have done for boxing, building women's combat boxing and the entire division, bringing boxing to Netflix, fixing boxing and course correcting boxing. Do you feel the tide is starting to turn? And by the way, Jake, his name anchoring has essentially introduced a new audience to great talent like the woman next to you. So do you see the tide finally turning with the casual viewer that folks are finally getting on board of what you guys are accomplishing for boxing?
Nakisa Bidarian (36:38):
I hope so. I think Jake said it best at the press conference. Boxing should want Jake to win because he's using his platform, his money, his time to try to build it for the better. And when you look at everything that we've accomplished, none of it happens without Jake. He is the tip of the spear and he enabled us to go out and partner with Netflix and then create an all women's card on Netflix and then push Netflix to say, "We want to make sure Alycia Baumgardner is the co-main here to get those eyeballs. Oh, and by the way, we want to add three more other championship level women's bouts on the card." So is the tide turning? I hope so. Do I care? No, because the results speak for themselves. And as I said, the number one trending thing on Twitter was respect to Jake Paul, and that means a lot to me.
Speaker 6 (37:24):
And one more question for the champ. When it comes to performances and your sparkling resume, this fight was Michael Jackson Thriller. This was incredible. Do you feel the pressure now every single fight? Like, man, everyone's going to expect a barn burner, everyone's going to expect in tremendous performance. How do you deal with that type of pressure now that you have so many more eyeballs on you?
Alycia Baumgardner (37:43):
Yeah, no pressure at all. I'm thankful for the team that I've been building for years now. And as a professional, I understand that there's ways of doing things and I like to do them at the highest level. And you can't go any lower than the bar that I've set for myself. So I know moving forward that the bar just keeps getting higher. There's no glass ceiling. You can't put me in a box and there's a time to be had and we're going to have that time.
Nakisa Bidarian (38:13):
Lot of comments, particularly from the UK, about Jake Paul as a novice boxer and shouldn't be in the ring with Anthony Joshua. He took some rounds from Anthony Joshua. It took Anthony Joshua six rounds to put out a man who's been in the sport for six years and took on the challenge in four weeks. So put some respect on Jake Paul's name in the UK. Thank you.