Former undisputed heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk has voiced serious worry for Jake Paul ahead of the American’s December 19 showdown with Anthony Joshua, cautioning that the British-Nigerian star could potentially “kill” the YouTuber-turned-fighter.

Usyk, who has gone the full 24 rounds with Joshua in two bouts without suffering defeat, believes the enormous gap in size, pedigree and experience could spell danger for Paul.

Joshua outweighs Paul by 52 pounds based on their last official fight weights, and he also stands five inches taller.

“If Anthony Joshua wants, he will kill this guy,” Usyk told Boxing Scene.

“Listen, a lot of questions, blah, blah, blah… Anthony Joshua is an Olympic champion, first. Jake Paul, yeah, a sportsman, a YouTuber, a showman. Joshua is Rolls-Royce; Jake is a Fiat.

“Listen, it’s true. It’s just true… Yes, I will pray (for) Jake Paul. Because I want to fight with Jake Paul in the octagon,” Usyk added.

Having moved from cruiserweight to heavyweight, Usyk understands the challenge of facing larger opponents. Widely regarded as one of the best cruiserweights of all time, he stepped up to heavyweight and achieved similar dominance, becoming undisputed twice despite consistently giving up size.

Still, Usyk emphasised that Paul’s situation bears no resemblance to his own.

Before Paul turned professional in 2020 — at a time when Joshua had already been a two-time unified heavyweight champion — he had participated in only a single amateur white-collar fight. Joshua, meanwhile, had already won Olympic gold.

Usyk recently engaged in a face-off with Paul, hoping to build hype for a possible MMA clash. However, any such matchup will only be possible if Paul makes it through his bout with Joshua at the Kaseya Centre in Miami.

Paul currently sports a 12-1 professional record, largely compiled against limited or past-their-prime opponents, with his lone defeat coming against Tommy Fury in 2023.