Anthony Joshua will be laughing all the way to the bank if his planned heavyweight showdown vs Jake Paul goes ahead next month.
The 36-year-old two-time world heavyweight champion (28-4 as a pro) has fought some bad men in his time, including a pair of fights with the peerless Oleksandr Usyk.
But despite going up against pretty much everybody who is anybody in the sport’s marquee weight class, he is set to net his highest ever payday for matching up with an inexperienced Youtuber. Yes, you read that right.
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The 28-year-old Paul may be one of the world’s biggest media personalities, but he’s a relative boxing novice, only fighting professionally for the first time in 2020, and only having 13 bouts so far. Oh, and he lost to Tommy Fury – he of Love Island fame.
On Wednesday the boxing world went into meltdown when Ring magazine insider Mike Coppinger reported that Joshua and Paul are in talks over a heavyweight showdown in Miami next month, to be streamed live on Netflix. That’s an actual heavyweight fight – not an exhibition.
And not only does it present the least risk for Joshua as he returns to action following elbow surgery, it would also have the biggest possible upside.
Media are reporting that the two men would split an enormous £140m purse for the December blockbuster, and Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn has now confirmed that there are dizzying sums of cash involved.
Joshua set to cash in
He told the BBC: “I like to keep it real in these situations. If they’re for real and the offer is for real, it’s gonna be very difficult for us not to oblige.
“We were due to have an eight-round run out in December on a low-key, little late-notice thing. AJ just wants to wrap the hands and get back in, before he goes into the serious stuff in 2026. We didn’t expect that run out to be against Jake Paul, and certainly not for that amount of money.
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“So honestly, if they’re for real – and the offer is a career-high payday – we’re probably gonna oblige.
“For all the criticism I’ve given to Jake Paul, he’s become a professional fighter. He’s nowhere near the level of Anthony Joshua, but if he takes this challenge, like I said, he’s a madman.
“But listen, good luck to him, he’s stepping up from cruiserweight to heavyweight. But he will get filled in by Anthony Joshua.”
Will the fight happen?
Right now, it has to be odds against that this fight takes place on December 19. We are just over a month out, there is no signed contract yet and it would be an enormous promotion. So time is the enemy.
Also, is Jake Paul for real? He would literally be putting his health at risk going in with Joshua, even though AJ is now 36 and coming off that devastating knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last September.
On Friday morning Paul himself appeared to hint that this one may not happen, as he told his fans on social media: “Not holding my breath for 25. Too many yes men.”
One hurdle which would need to be negotiated is Joshua’s TV affiliation. He is signed exclusively to DAZN, so would likely need that platform’s blessing to fight Paul on Netflix. Or some form of compromise which benefited both platforms.
