Drake watched his $200,000 wager crumble Saturday night time as Jake Paul fell quick towards Anthony Joshua in a broadly anticipated boxing match that after once more breathed life into the notorious “Drake curse.”

The Canadian rapper had posted a screenshot of his wager on Instagram forward of the battle, captioning it, “Jakeyyyyy boy. Lock tf in.”

But the gamble didn’t repay. Joshua overwhelmed Paul in a lopsided contest, including one other identify to the rising checklist of athletes who’ve stumbled after receiving Drake’s public backing.

Anthony Joshua edged the early rounds on the scorecards, however the battle unfolded as a sluggish, awkward mess with little clear motion. Jake Paul relied on motion, mild jabs and occasional proper arms to outlive, repeatedly circling and maintaining distance whereas avoiding main harm.

Joshua utilized stress and landed sporadic physique pictures, an uppercut and some glancing blows, largely within the clinch, however struggled to trace Paul or assert management. Both fighters missed incessantly, slipped to the canvas a number of occasions and spent lengthy stretches tied up. A quick stoppage adopted when Paul claimed a low blow, with the replay exhibiting

Joshua’s knee made contact throughout a fall. Despite holding a factors lead, Joshua’s lack of ability to dominate or produce significant offense left the bout troublesome to attain and aesthetically ugly, with Paul’s survival by the rounds already feeling like an ethical setback for Joshua.

Jake Paul was knocked down twice in a brutal fifth spherical, however he managed to outlive. However, spherical 6 introduced the tip for Jake Paul, who was TKO’d.

Drake’s betting historical past has grow to be one thing of a operating joke in sports activities circles, with many pointing to his monitor report of high-profile losses.

The rapper’s hometown staff, the Toronto Blue Jays, was a latest sufferer of the curse. After Drake publicly backed them during the 2025 World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers came back to win Game 7.

The Toronto Sun bluntly famous, “The dreaded Drake Curse is being partly blamed for the Toronto Blue Jays’ loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series.”

The so-called curse gained traction after Drake backed Conor McGregor in his 2018 UFC bout towards Khabib Nurmagomedov.

McGregor was submitted within the fourth spherical, regardless of being one of many sport’s prime attracts on the time.

Since then, Drake’s help has coincided with a string of defeats throughout sports activities. From Alabama soccer to the Golden State Warriors and even Serena Williams, the rapper’s endorsements have typically preceded sudden losses.

The pattern has grow to be so constant that some gamblers now use Drake’s bets as a reverse indicator.

Paul himself has felt the sting earlier than. After losing a split decision to Tommy Fury in February 2023, he learned Drake had put $400,000 on him to win. His reaction was blunt.

“F**k. This is Drake’s fault,” Paul mentioned on the post-fight press convention. “Drake, bro, why did you do this to me? It’s my fault. $400,000 is nothing to him. He has won a lot more money betting on me before. He’s probably about even now.”

Paul later joked that he owed Drake an apology for the loss. But with Saturday’s defeat, the curse seems to have struck once more.

The odds had been stacked towards Paul from the beginning. Joshua, a former two-time heavyweight champion, entered the ring with 25 knockouts in 32 wins and a towering 6-foot-6 body.

Paul, at 6-foot-1, was an enormous underdog at +800, whereas Joshua sat comfortably at -1200.

Paul entered Saturday’s battle with a 12-1 report. Both of his losses now share one factor in frequent: Drake’s cash driving on his shoulders.

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