Anthony Joshua has made it clear that he plans to show Jake Paul no mercy Friday in their polarizing Netflix boxing match. Two days out from the bout, Joshua doubled down on that promise.

With the pair fielding questions Wednesday at the event's final pre-fight press conference ahead of their eight-round heavyweight fight at the Kaseya Center in Miami, one of the first topics discussed was a controversial remark made by Joshua the day prior. "If I can kill you, I will kill you," the former heavyweight champion said Tuesday ahead of the bout. A day later, when pressed on those words, Joshua refused to back down.

"It's my job — we fight," Joshua said. "We have a license to kill. I'm sure many people don't understand it, but this is what my job is. I just enjoy what I do. Whatever happens, happens. As long as my hand's raised, that's what's important, right?

"Respectfully, that's just the mentality we have to have as fighters. I don't know if any other fighter thinks that way — maybe they're a bit more tame. But the things I watch and the way my mind works — when you're in that ring, it's a dangerous place to be and anything can happen. You hope your opponent leaves the ring safely, but if they don't, you still have to go to bed at night knowing that you've just done your job, it wasn't personal."

It's a brutal statement from the Brit, particularly when taking into account just how dangerous of a mismatch Paul vs. Joshua is already seen to be by most in the boxing industry.

Paul, however, appeared unfazed by Joshua's threat and welcomed the ex-champion to do his worst.

"Let's f***ing go, bro," Paul responded. "Let's put on a show for the fans. Let's go to war. Men have done crazier things throughout human history. This is the modern-day gladiator sport. This is what we're here to do, is f*** each other up, and I'm ready. I want his hardest punches. I want there to be no excuses when it's all said and done, and let's f***ing kill each other."

Many have questioned how real the fight between Joshua and Paul will be. When Paul faced Mike Tyson in November 2024, there was a feeling that Paul carried Tyson to the finish line in their lackluster contest. Some within boxing are of the belief that Joshua will do the same for Paul on Friday, however Paul is keen to silence all critics of the bout — including former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, who questioned the legitimacy of Friday's matchup.

"I gave him a cease and desist letter in their email for lying on my name, and then the lawsuit is coming right after because these people won't stop lying," Paul said of Wilder. 

"I honestly take it as a compliment, but people need to shut the f*** up. And Deontay Wilder, he's been hit a lot by Tyson Fury, so he's clearly not the smartest guy. There's nothing [unusual] in the contract — AJ can attest to it. We're going to war, and at the end of the day, that's what all my fights have been like."

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Paul remains confident he can do the unthinkable against Joshua, claiming that a victory over the 2012 Olympic champion would be the biggest upset not only in boxing history, but in overall sports history. 

"This is the [New York] Giants vs. the [New England] Patriots [in] 2007," Paul said of his underdog status. "The list goes on. But the odds are stacked against me. There's no sporting teams in history that have gone together where it's this big of a difference in terms of skill, experience, résumé, height, weight, etc. So this is going to be the biggest upset in the history of sports, and you guys get to witness it, and I get to witness it."

From an odds perspective, Paul isn't as big an underdog as some would expect — in fact, he isn't even the biggest underdog on the card. BetMGM has Paul listed at +550 to defeat Joshua on Friday, while Camilla Panatta — who challenges Caroline Dubois for the WBC lightweight title on the prelims — is a stunning +900 to dethrone Dubois.

Joshua is expected to fight again on Feb. 14 if he gets through Paul unscathed, before moving on to a potential mega-fight with Tyson Fury later in 2026.

Paul, however, believes he'll be the man in the opposite corner of Fury next year, as he planted the seeds for a revenge story of sorts after losing his undefeated record in 2023 to Tyson's brother, Tommy Fury.

"I have plans. I want Terence Crawford, [Saul] 'Canelo' [Alvarez]," Paul declared. "We're always looking into the future, as well as Anthony [is] — that's what a good businessman and fighter does. I'm putting a stint in his plans for sure, 100%. You're going to see maybe me vs. Tyson Fury [in 2026]. Forget about Tommy, we'll just move on to the big brother."