Most Valuable Promotions partner Nakisa Bidarian claims YouTuber Jake Paul provided a tougher test to Anthony Joshua than Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga did. Joshua suffered two first-round knockdowns against Prenga on Saturday night before securing a second-round knockout win. Bidarian told Sky Sports News that Paul performed better over six rounds before Joshua knocked him out and broke his jaw.
Joshua fought Paul last December in his last outing before facing Prenga. The British heavyweight landed a knockout punch that broke Paul's jaw in two places, ending the bout in round six. Highlights of the fight are available globally on Netflix, courtesy of Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions.
Bidarian argued that Paul handled Joshua's power better than Prenga did during Saturday's contest. "Jake Paul won more than the guy on Saturday night won," Bidarian said. "He was in there for six rounds. That dude was out in two rounds, taking the same shots Jake was taking."
The Most Valuable Promotions chief added that Paul showed great resilience despite the injury. "I'm very happy with his performance, not happy with the outcome, and didn't like that he broke his jaw, but the hardest shots on Jake Paul didn't do what they did to a heavyweight on Saturday," Bidarian said.
Anthony Joshua return after car crash
Saturday's victory over Prenga kept Joshua on track for a potential end-of-year showdown against Tyson Fury. The bout marked Joshua's first time back in the ring since surviving a fatal car crash in Nigeria that killed two of his friends, Sina Ghami and Latif 'Latz' Ayodele. Joshua dedicated his second-round knockout win over Prenga to Ghami and Ayodele.
Bidarian expressed deep respect and admiration for the former heavyweight champion. "I'm proud of him, in awe of him, thinking of him," Bidarian said, adding that he sent Joshua messages throughout the week. Bidarian noted that Most Valuable Promotions had developed a relationship with Ghami before the accident.
"We developed a relationship with Sina, which was hard for all of us, but no harder for anyone than their families and AJ, who is part of their family," Bidarian said. "For him to make that walk seven months later, to go into the ring with that emotion, I'm sure that weighed heavily on him. Massive respect, massive admiration."
Jake Paul upcoming boxing opponents
Paul has not fought since his loss to Joshua, but Bidarian insists his boxing career will continue. "100 per cent he's boxing again," Bidarian declared. Paul told Sky Sports that he is eyeing a comeback bout against former UFC star Francis Ngannou.
Bidarian outlined a lengthy shortlist of potential opponents for Paul's return. The list includes Ngannou, WBC welterweight world champion Ryan Garcia, Tommy Fury, Edgar Berlanga, and Britain's Chris Eubank Jr. "Jake wants to fight Ngannou, Ryan Garcia, but Tommy Fury is a fight that makes sense. Edgar Berlanga, that's a fascinating fight. I also like Chris Eubank Jr, that's a fascinating fight," Bidarian said.
Bidarian cautioned potential opponents that purse demands must align with financial realities. "The fighters on the other side also need to be realistic," Bidarian said. "Sometimes their eyes are bigger than what the box office affords us to pay."
Most Valuable Promotions is preparing for its upcoming event, MVPW-06: UK vs USA, taking place in Birmingham on August 29. The event will be broadcast live on Sky Sports and available contract-free via NOW. Mikaela Mayer vs Chantelle Cameron headlines the card, which will also feature Caroline Dubois in action.
