In a sport known for its unpredictability, few headlines can match the shock and spectacle of this potential showdown: Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul.
Yes, you read that right.
The former two-time unified heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua could be stepping into the ring with none other than Jake Paul — the YouTuber-turned-prizefighter who has been making waves in the boxing world in recent years. And according to Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn, this fight is no longer just fantasy. It’s “very real.”
Joshua, 34, hasn’t fought since his crushing fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium nearly a year ago. With Oleksandr Usyk holding all the heavyweight belts and Tyson Fury still “retired,” the path forward for AJ is murky — at least in a traditional boxing sense.
That’s where Jake Paul enters the picture.
Hearn, in a recent interview, disclosed that he held a lengthy call with Paul’s business partner Nikisa Bidarian on July 30. The tone? Surprisingly positive. “If they want it, it will happen,” Hearn declared. He now rates the likelihood of the fight at 50:50.
“Nakisa was very honest, and he’s concerned about the fight, but Jake truly believes he can win or at least be competitive in it,” said Hearn.
Let’s talk logistics.
Jake Paul is a natural cruiserweight, usually fighting around 190 pounds. Joshua, meanwhile, is a towering heavyweight at 6’6” and 250 lbs. That’s a major size discrepancy — but Hearn believes both fighters could enter the ring closer in weight than expected.
Still, he isn’t pretending this is an even match on paper.
“It’s dangerous in my opinion,” Hearn admitted. “You’re in there with one of the biggest punchers of all time. And it isn’t a game.”
Yet Hearn can’t deny the commercial appeal. “It would probably be the biggest fight that could ever happen anywhere. Right up there with AJ’s biggest purses ever,” he said. “This would be the outer world, not just the boxing world.”
Let’s not forget, Joshua has already dipped his toes into crossover territory, demolishing ex-UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou with a brutal second-round knockout.
A similar fate for Jake Paul? That seems to be the motivation behind this match-up — not just the money, but the chance to bring Paul’s wild boxing ride to a thunderous close.
Hearn continued, “This is like tuning in to watch David Blaine — but much more dangerous and much more real.”
This fight would be divisive, no doubt.
Purists would argue it’s a circus act, a sideshow that undermines the sport’s credibility. But commercially? It would break the internet. Streams, headlines, viral clips — it would reach audiences far beyond traditional boxing fans.
And perhaps that’s the point.
Joshua is in a phase of his career where he’s already cemented his legacy. What’s left is entertainment, earnings, and maybe — just maybe — ending Jake Paul’s boxing experiment with a bang.
While nothing is signed yet, the buzz is growing. Joshua remains a global icon, and Jake Paul is arguably the most disruptive force boxing has seen in a decade. A fight between them would be as lucrative as it is bizarre — and according to Hearn, that makes it very possible.
Get ready. Boxing may be heading into yet another uncharted territory.
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