Eddie Hearn was annoyed by Jake Paul’s manager, Nakisa Bidarkian, saying that Anthony Joshua would be an ‘easier fight than Gervonta Davis’ because Davis was faster than him.
Hearn says Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) will show Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) real speed in their fight next month on December 19th on Netflix at the Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida. It bothers Hearn that Jake and his manager Bidarian believe that they can win.
Why Jake Thinks AJ Is Vulnerable
They have plenty of reasons to believe they’ll come out victorious. Joshua, 36, hasn’t fought in 14 months, and he’s coming off a fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois on September 21, 2024. When Andy Ruiz knocked out AJ in June 2019, he was coming off almost a year’s layoff. History repeats itself.
“You can’t goad AJ to say something outrageous. He’s going to say, ‘Listen, I respect you. You’re going to get punished. No mercy,’ as he says,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Seconds Out about Anthony Joshua’s fight against Jake Paul on December 19th.
The Inactivity Question
Jake doesn’t appear to be trying to “goad” Joshua into anything. He’s just confident in his skills and power, and he sees flaws in AJ’s game that he can take advantage of. Joshua has these things going against him:
- Inactvitity
- Coming off a knockout loss
- Age
- Overconfident
“It’s not shorter rounds. It’s a real fight. He’s saying all the things that people are telling him to make him believe that he has a chance,” said Hearn about Paul. “‘What about the Andy Ruiz fight? He’s been out 14 months. Maybe his chin is not the same. You’re younger, you’re fresher.'”
Jake can see for himself the vulnerabilities that Joshua will bring to this fight, and that’s enough of a reason for him to believe he’s going to win.
Hearn Predicts “Frightening” AJ Speed
“Even Nakisa [Bidarian] said, ‘This is an easier fight than Gervonta because Gervonta had the speed.’ Mate, wait until you see AJ’s speed,” said Hearn. “It’s going to be frightening.
“He’s a decent cruiserweight. That’s what he’s become. It’s not like he’s just getting off the couch and hasn’t been in the ring. He’s done the camps. He’d had real fights, but he’s levels below AJ,” said Hearn.