Jake Paul was emotional and distressed during his first face-off with Anthony Joshua on Friday ahead of their upcoming fight, according to a body language expert.
The US social media star will face two-time world champion Joshua on December 19 in a fight that has proven controversial due to the extreme weight and height differences, as well as their professional backgrounds.
The Briton, standing at an imposing 6ft 6in, completely dwarfed his 6ft 1in opponent during their encounter, leading onlookers to notice the almost comical difference between the two men.
Body language expert Darren Stanton noted the "Conor McGregor" chin thrust that Paul attempted to intimidate Joshua with, but it was in fact the YouTuber whose twitchy shoulders suggested nerves.
Stanton, speaking to OLBG, said: "Anthony Joshua is the more confident man. Even though he’s got the height advantage he was very stoic, very still and the eye contact remained constant.
"Eye contact generally lasts from three to five seconds, but I always say people that hold eye contact for 10 seconds or longer are going to kill each other or kiss each other.
"Prolonged eye contact is a primeval gesture, animals do it.
"Jake Paul is a lot shorter but he does a chin thrust. That’s what Conor McGregor does.
Jake Paul was emotional and distressed during his first face-off with Anthony Joshua, according to a body language expert.
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The Body language expert added: "He’s tilting his head back and he is protruding his chin. By doing that he is trying to undermine and intimidate Joshua, but it’s not working.
The moment truly captured the size difference, with Paul initially finding himself staring directly at Joshua's chest rather than his face.
The social media star had to crane his neck upward to meet the Brit's gaze, creating an awkward yet telling moment that highlighted just how much smaller he appeared next to the heavyweight.
Once Paul finally looked up, the two engaged in an intense stare-down, though it lacked the usual drama associated with the 28-year-old's previous boxing events.
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The social media star had to crane his neck upward to meet the Brit's gaze
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Stanton said: "Paul is the more nervous of the two men because in the opening seconds of the face-off his shoulders move about twitching. That’s the adrenaline going through his body.
"So he’s had an emotional shift, he’s quite stressed. Whereas with Joshua, it’s water off a duck’s back.
"So my prediction is Joshua is going to win this because he is the more confident man. He doesn’t need to do anything. He’s got the height, his posture’s straight, he’s giving Paul prolonged eye contact.
"There’s three or four red flags from Paul. He’s trying to come over as not being intimidated but I think he is. So he comes over as the less confident man."
Promoter Eddie Hearn agreed that Paul would not last long against AJ.
The US social media star will face two-time world champion Joshua on December 19
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Speaking to BetFred, he said: "AJ flattens him. Jake has become a decent cruiserweight.
"I don’t think he’s a world-class cruiserweight, but he is ranked by some governing bodies and it’s a massive step up.
"The thing is, we were going to take an eight-round fight in December, on an undercard, against a guy who’s in the top 120 of the heavyweight rankings that you’ve never heard of.
"So in that respect, I still believe they’d have been better than Jake Paul, but AJ wants the ability to go up there, wrap his hands, hit pads, do the ring walk and get a win under his belt.
"If that’s against Jake Paul for a lot of money, then we may well do it.”
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