Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul may sound like a pipedream or a freak show depending on your boxing point of view but one thing is for sure – the talk is absolutely real.
AJ (28-4) is expected to return to the ring soon after recovering from elbow surgery he underwent in May. It is now almost a year since he last fought – that devastating loss to Daniel Dubois in front of more than 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.
At the age of 35, the two-time world heavyweight champion is absolutely entering the twilight of a glittering career. He will not fight on for much longer, so every assignment from here on in has to count.
READ MORE: Incredible Moses Itauma sparring story revealed by top boxing agent
That long-awaited all-British showdown vs Tyson Fury is of course a possibility with ‘The Gypsy King’ announcing recently that he will come out of retirement to fight again in 2026.
But a showdown with Youtuber turned boxer Paul is a very different proposition. It would be frowned on by boxing purists but for AJ it represents what former world champ George Groves recently described as ‘a gift’ – a massive payday with ‘zero risk’.
Joshua would start as a prohibitive favourite against the 28-year-old ‘Problem Child’, who has been producing massive box office numbers since coming into the fight game. His win over 58-year-old former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson was watched by a record 108million fans on Netflix last November.
In short the potential audience – and revenues – for a Joshua vs Paul fight would be enormous. And it is about as safe a fight as AJ could choose at this stage of his career.
Hearn on Joshua vs Jake Paul talks
While promoter Eddie Hearn says this is not a fight he and Joshua have been chasing, it is a fight they will take on. If Paul really does want it.
Hearn says there have been talks between the two camps – namely with Paul’s fellow Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian – and he believes there are no major barriers to the fight going ahead.
He told iFL TV: “I had close to an hour with Nakisa earlier this week. You know, obviously we’ve had our differences with MVP, at the moment – touch wood – we’re getting on pretty well. And that’s firstly quite pleasant, quite enjoyable and nice, and secondly, it opens the door to be able to do business together.
“We kinda went through the contractual points, and there aren’t really any major barriers to make this fight. Like – and I wanna make it clear – I’m not sitting here calling for this fight, you know. I think the fight’s a mismatch. I think AJ destroys him. But, if Jake Paul wants this fight, and he’s serious, the fight will happen.
READ MORE: Barry Hearn on AJ retirement plan and Eddie’s GENIUS plan to sign him
“This really comes down to Jake and his belief/delusion of… he truly believes he can beat AJ. Truly. And I truly believe he believes that.
“And, you know, I said to Nakisa, I think this is dangerous. And I think Nakisa also knows it. I mean, boxing’s dangerous, but this is dangerous. And I said this fight is so big that people will tune in for so many different reasons. Firstly, because they wanna see Jake Paul get flattened. Secondly, it’s AJ, it’s Jake Paul, it’s two worlds colliding. But thirdly, it is the danger element.
I said, this is a bit like tuning in to watch David Blaine. I said, because you’re tuning in to see if it’s all gonna go wrong. This is what I’m saying. But I said to Nakisa, this ain’t a glass box full of water where you’re trying to get out in three minutes – this is a physical danger. But he tells me, Jake truly believes he can go in there and win the fight. Or, in the worst-case scenario – be very competitive. I think they’re mad. But, if they want it, it will happen.”
Where would the fight happen?
Hearn also has a clear view on the likely location for Joshua vs Jake Paul, and it is the United States. He continued: “Probably, yeah. Again, look, there’s so much to discuss with those guys and I’m not gonna go too deep into the points, but I would think the US is the most likely destination.”
Hearn says as yet there have been no talks the potential for Riyadh Season to stage the bout in Saudi Arabia or the UK, but that could still happen.
“From our side, obviously, we’ve got a great relationship with His Excellency [Turki Alalshikh], AJ’s had the last few fights with him. We’re happy to continue doing that. But, there haven’t been any conversations – deep conversations – with myself and His Excellency about a date, or numbers or anything like that. That will probably come.
“This was more of a direct conversation between the two teams to say, look, are you serious about this? And this is what we think about the terms of the fight. What do you think? And basically, you know, we’re on, we’re on point with it all.
READ MORE
- Heavyweight rankings – the world’s top 10 right now
- Moses Itauma given ‘disaster’ warning as Turki Alalshikh pitches superfight
- Heavyweight rankings – the definitive list with every sanctioning body
- P4P rankings – the top 10 fighters in boxing in August 2025
- Ben Davison makes one ‘significant’ point about the Moses Itauma hype
