Breaking: Negotiations are progressing for a potential boxing match between former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua and social media star Jake Paul,with a targeted fight date in 2026. The bout could represent the largest purse of Joshua’s professional career.
Eddie Hearn, Chairman of Matchroom Boxing and Joshua’s long-time promoter, indicated that a fight with Paul is increasingly likely to be joshua’s next contest.Hearn made the comments during a recent interview with BBC Sport.
Anthony Joshua,34,boasts a professional record of 32 wins,with 24 by knockout,and has previously held the WBA (Super),IBF,WBO,and IBO heavyweight titles. jake Paul, 27, has compiled a 13-1 professional boxing record, primarily against mixed martial artists and fellow social media personalities.
Hearn initially dismissed the possibility of the fight as a publicity tactic, but now believes Paul is genuinely confident in his ability to defeat Joshua. “At first I thought it was a publicity stunt from Jake and now the more I speak to them the more I actually understand – Jake Paul thinks he can beat Anthony Joshua,” Hearn stated. He cautioned, “This is a step too far. So be careful what you wish for, as this isn’t a game. This isn’t YouTube. This isn’t Disney. This is the danger zone.”
Representatives from both fighters have confirmed that the proposed match would be a standard professional boxing contest, unlike Paul’s November 2023 exhibition bout against Mike Tyson at the Moody Gardens Arena in Galveston, Texas. That fight featured modified rules, including larger 14-ounce gloves and a maximum of eight two-minute rounds.
Nakisa Bidarian, CEO of Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), the company co-founded by Jake Paul, emphasized the intention to conduct a legitimate professional fight. “This would be pursued as a straight up professional fight,” Bidarian said. He acknowledged the experience disparity between the two fighters but expressed confidence in Paul’s ability to prepare.
Bidarian highlighted the greater risk posed by Joshua compared to Tyson,noting Joshua’s active status and punching power. “I think there’s certainly an experience gap between the two of them… From my prospective, Joshua’s an active heavyweight. The likelihood of Anthony Joshua being able to land a heavyweight punch is much higher than what Mike Tyson had.”
He revealed that he is advising Paul to delay the fight to allow for further skill development. “I want to give Jake as much time as possible to improve on his boxing skillset to be able to effectively neutralise that main attribute of Anthony Joshua. My ask of him is to wait longer to do it. But when an opportunity is there, sometimes if you don’t take it, it never comes back.”
