Anthony Joshua weighs in almost TWO STONE heavier than Jake Paul

If the hoorah showman was hoping the heavyweight champion would be drained by fighting at his lowest poundage for years, Anthony Joshua has been quick to rain on that phase of Jake Paul's parade.

As he came to the scales 1.6lbs inside the 245lbs limit imposed by The Problem Child, AJ insisted: 'I've made the weight easily. No problem.'

Balancing this Friday's act between the accomplished and experienced Joshua and Paul the brilliant entrepreneur but smaller man was always going to be a delicate judgment.

Joshua has weighed over 250lbs in his occasional bouts of late and to make this more of a fight than a mismatch Paul should probably have ordered him to make 240lbs.

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn claimed the credit by overstating to Camp Paul how heavily his man walks around between fights.

The disparity between them was emphasised at the official weigh-in as Paul - at 216.6lbs - scaled some four pounds less than when he defeated Mike Tyson in his only previous incursion into the heavyweight division... and nearly two stone lighter than Joshua.

And, oh dear, when he roared 'champ you know who I are' he clearly did so through a sore throat and a bad cold.

Joshua was not yet in the building to hear that. Not that he needed to be.

So far it's all good news for him.

When it came to the public re-enactment of the official weigh both were raised aloft on huge pedestals rising from the stage.

Joshua looked the more sure footed, Paul the more excitable.

Both made cut throat signs as they came face to face and AJ told Paul to stop laying hands on him.

Come the non/pleasantries Paul told Joshua: 'I've got you where I want you. Under all the pressure, in a corner and ready to be knocked out in the sixth or seventh round.'

Britain's two time world heavyweight champion warned the YouTube sensation: 'I'm the serious boxer here and I'm going to f*** you up.'

Miami is not on fire for this manufactured contest. The public seats in the old Jackie Gleason Theatre were less half full and there were still tickets for the fight on sale.

But what matters most to the promotion is the scores of millions expected to tune into Netflix.