By Eric Bottjer
To find a prizefight that remotely compares to the Anthony Joshua-Jake Paul match upcoming on Dec. 19 in Miami (or, more accurately, Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua – the YouTuber-turned-boxer is the star here), your time machine needs to travel back when electricity was just replacing gas lighting, railroads were the fastest mode of transportation and most folks carried guns (much like today in Florida).
On July 17, 1882, America’s bare-knuckle heavyweight champion John L. Sullivan met England’s Joseph Collins, AKA “Tug Wilson,” at Madison Square Garden (the original MSG, built in 1879 and located on East 26th Street and Madison Avenue). Sullivan won his bare-knuckle title four months prior and Police Gazette publisher Richard K. Fox, a Sullivan nemesis, heard that Tug Wilson was champion of England and paid for him to sail to New York to meet Sullivan. Fox’s heart sank when he greeted Tug. The Englishman was 5-foot-8, perhaps 150 pounds and looked every bit his 35 years (ancient, in a time when life expectancy in the UK was 43 years). But Wilson had a contract – he’d get half the gate and a $1,000 bonus if he lasted the distance. Of course, he’d claim to be “world” champion should he defeat Sullivan, but that thought seemed preposterous once Wilson disrobed at John Wood’s New York photography studio, revealing a healthy paunch and zero muscle tone. But Wilson was confident – he’d been fighting since 1868 and claimed he was champion of England (he wasn’t). Fox honored his contract and Wilson, officially weighing 143 lbs, entered the ring with Sullivan in front of 12,000 fans.
The 22-year-old Sullivan was as frightening in his day was Mike Tyson was 100 years later. He weighed 182 for Wilson and was a shade over 5-10, massive at a time when the average man was 5-foot-6 and perhaps 140 lbs. Much like Anthony Joshua is a physical monster today. And like Jake Paul fighting Joshua, Tug Wilson had as much chance as winning his big fight as a man landing safely on the sun.
So why did Sullivan-Wilson happen? The same reason Paul-Joshua is happening. It’s a giant grift. Because Wilson was advertised as the champion of England – and England was the cradle of boxing then – those fans showed up at MSG expecting a real fistfight. And because Jake Paul is widely known (not really because of boxing) and Anthony Joshua is not, American sports fans are asking the absurd question, “Can Jake Paul win?”
You only get 5-1 on a Jake Paul bet. You should get 5,000-1, and even then, I’d bet Joshua. The fact that anyone questions the outcome of this fight is indicative to boxing’s steep decline.Hell, even in 1882, with no motion pictures and in the infancy of photography, boxing folks were knowledgeable enough to reward Wilson a $1,000 bonus by simply lasting four rounds.
If Jake Paul lasts four rounds, his hand should immediately be raised and Joshua’s purse held. Yes, Paul has had pro bouts – 13 total. And he’s won 12. But only three of those opponents can be considered boxers, and Paul is 2-1 against them. Added to his opponent pile are MMA fighters, geriatric combat sports legends and a man in a Mike Tyson rubber suit. And, yes, Joshua is older (36 to Paul’s prime 28), inactive (15 months since his last match), and he hasn’t won a legitimate fight in two years. But at this level, Paul has never fought a legitimate fight. The difference will be apparent seconds after the opening bell – how do you think a high school football player would look on an NFL field. The difference in everything – size, experience, hell, even the way he moves – would be immediately apparent. And you’d hope he wouldn’t get killed (not sure everyone will have the same empathetic hope for Paul).
This is where boxing is – coaxing Netflix, which brings a huge audience and bankroll – into its sting, damn the actual product or the easily predictable outcome. The important thing to the participants – Paul, Joshua and their promoters – is that the bank wires hit on Tuesday.
And afterward, Paul should have the last laugh (he won’t get maimed. Concussed, perhaps, but as Johnny Bos used to say, “Stiffs don’t get hurt.” And in this “fight,” Paul is a stiff). If fans fling their anger at him, he can rightly say, “What did you expect? Is it my fault you fell for this?” And tell his kids he once fought a former world heavyweight title holder (I refuse to call Joshua a “champion,” when he never fought Tyson Fury or Deontay Wilder). Joshua can pocket the easiest money he ever made, and really, that’s about it. What pride would a pro boxer feel by going to a middle-school playground and beating up a delusional 7th-grader?
And what of Tug Wilson? Sullivan knocked him down 27 times. He took a 9-count each time (literally four full minutes on the canvas total) and never landed a punch. He got his $1,000 bonus and half the gate – another $8,000 ($295,000 today) and sailed back to England a hero. If Jake Paul does the same in Miami, it will be a world-class accomplishment that overshadows a world-class swindle.
