Sham fights are not new to boxing.
But rarely do they make a massive seismic impact on the sport as a whole, either.
Few fight fans go misty eyed over Muhammed Ali's bout with Japanese wrestler Antonio Inoki in 1976.
Even fewer will have fond memories of the farcical match-up between Trevor Berbick and Nobuhiko Takada in 1991.
Then there were the five fights George Foreman had against five different men on the same night in 1975, the somehow-even-more-absurd ring meeting between Oscar De La Hoya and NBA legend Shaquille O'Neill in 2009 or Floyd Mayweather's money-grabbing assault on sporting decency when he battered peroxide super lightweight kick boxer Tenshin Nasukawa — who was not allowed to kick — in 2018.
Add them all to the sadly long list of money-making scams fight fans have foolishly stumbled towards like moths to an open flame, dollar bills crumpled in their closed fists like stupefied addicts desperate for a novelty rush and oblivious to the danger of being burned.
But here comes another one — an altogether more dangerous one, and one that despite the absurdity may have a cultural resonance beyond making millions for the two combatants.
On Saturday (AEDT) Anthony Joshua will walk into the ring against Jake Paul.
They will fight eight, three minute rounds, wearing 10oz gloves.
Few expect it to last that long.
Joshua has courted controversy for taking the fight.
He's courted more for repeating vulgar statements about how he will "kill" his opponent in the ring.
"I'm a very respectful guy brought up by a good family. But if I can kill you, I will kill you. That's just how I am. And this is just the job I do, so let's go," was just one of the nonsense statements Joshua sprouted at an open workout in Miami this week.
It's the sort of pathetic grandstanding that deserves being called out, not least from his will-he-wont-he opponent Tyson Fury, who rubbished Joshua's bewildering bravado during the school run, of all things.
"He's a little bit long in the tooth to be talking s*** like that," Fury said in his own indomitable way on Instagram.
"He's 37 years old, at the end of his career fighting a YouTuber, a Disney Channel guy who [Fury's half-brother] Tommy beat.
"And now he's talking about killing him and all that to try and sell — please. Barking up the wrong tree, idiot."
Fury is right.
Joshua uttering such irresponsible rubbish to promote a fight where he is such a clear favourite should be beneath him.
But he has doubled down.
"It's my job, we fight. We have a licence to kill," he said at the press conference.
"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 is raised, that's what's important, respectfully. That's just what the mentality we have to have as fighters.
"When you're in the ring, it's a dangerous thing. Anything can happen.
"You hope your opponent leaves the ring safely, but if they don't, you still have to go to bed knowing you just did your job. It wasn't personal."
Joshua has said that he is carrying the entire sport on his back and working to "save boxing" by stopping the YouTuber fighter phenomenon at its source.
But others say that a brutal win will end it anyway.
"I think this could be the end of YouTubers jumping in with real active fighters," former light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan told the Daily Mail.
"Because it only takes one shot. One bad night, one clean shot, and someone can get seriously hurt.
"We've seen the way someone's whole life can be altered."
Boxing is dangerous.
Paul may say that he wants Joshua's "hardest punches" and for there to be "no excuses". But to paraphrase one of Paul's previous opponents, a washed-up Mike Tyson, everyone has a plan until they're punched in the face.
And one punch from a man who has been in with some of the best fighters of this generation will likely be enough.
Is the fight fixed?
Plenty of people have suggested that there's no real danger and that what happens in the fight is going to be scripted — professional wrestling with gloves.
But this has been knocked on the head by the majority, including both fighters.
"There's nothing in the contract, AJ can attest to it. We're going to war," Paul said, while the Florida Athletic Commission, which has copped criticism for ever sanctioning the fight, told BBC Sport knockouts were permitted.
Joshua said that "the only thing in the contract that got my attention was the money" and, with the purse estimated to be $US267 million ($404 million), no wonder.
Why? The stakes for Joshua are simply too high.
In a column on the BBC website, Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn said "so many people have come up to me asking if it's scripted," but rubbished those claims.
"Firstly, we'd be investigated by the FBI if it was. It would be illegal. This is a professional contest and a sanctioned bout where people are betting on it," he said.
"And do you think I would ever allow AJ to have a script with Jake? A script where we might lose or even hold him up and look bad? No way.
"We're not going to see AJ run across the ring in the first few seconds and start windmilling.
"Just like he did against Francis Ngannou, he will go in there, measure him up and then go in with the heavy artillery."
That fight ended in second-round knockout. Hearn expects this to be the same.
"I expect my fighter to win inside two rounds with a devastating knockout," Hearn wrote.
"He could hit Jake to the body and he would break his ribs and he wouldn't be able to get up.
"If he hits him clean, he will knock his spark out."
What time is the fight?
The undercard gets underway at midday on Saturday, AEDT.
The main event ring walks could take place at about 2:30pm AEDT, depending on what happens in the fights prior.
How can I watch the fight?
Have you got a Netflix account? Then you can watch it.
The fight will be available to anyone who has a Netflix account without needing to pay any extra.
You can follow all the action in the ABC Sport live blog at abc.net.au/news/sport.
Who is fighting on the undercard?
As has so often been the case, Paul has chosen to champion women's boxing on the undercard of his fight.
Unified super featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner defends her three titles against Canadian challenger Leila Beaudoin, while Caroline Dubois, sister of Joshua's conqueror Daniel, defends her WBC lightweight crown against Italian Camilla Panatta.
Meanwhile, there will be significant Australian interest as undisputed bantamweight champion, New Zealand-born Australian fighter Cherneka Johnson puts all her belts on the line against Amanda Galle.
Here's the full card:
- Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua — catchweight
- Alycia Baumgardner vs Leila Beaudoin — IBF/WBO/WBA super featherweight titles
- Caroline Dubois vs Camilla Panatta — WBC lightweight title
- Cherneka Johnson vs Amanda Galle — IBF/WBC/WBO/WBA bantamweight titles
- Anderson Silva vs Tyron Woodley — light heavyweight
- Yokasta Valle vs Yadira Bustillos — minimum weight
- Avious Griffin vs Justin Cardona — welterweight
- Jahmal Harvey vs Kevin Cervantes — super featherweight
- Keno Marley vs Diarra Davis Jr — cruiserweight
