Promoter Eddie Hearn says it’ll be “double Nyquil time” for Jake Paul as soon as Anthony Joshua lands “clean” on his chin in their eight-round headliner on December 19th on Netflix at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
(Credit: Ester Lin/Most Valuable Promotions)
Hearn states that it was a “bad decision” for the boxing newcomer Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) to have chosen a world-class-level fighter in two-time heavyweight champion Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) to fight. He admits that Jake will make a “load of money,” but it won’t end well for him.
Hearn’s Nervous Sales Pitch
The way Hearn is going overboard in presenting the fight as a mismatch in Joshua’s favor, one can’t help but see concern for AJ beneath the surface. He looks like a worried promoter, already thinking about a worst-case scenario in which Jake obliterates Joshua with one of his right-hand blasts.
Joshua’s Age & Wear Showing
AJ cannot afford to lose this fight because he’s supposed to be levels above the 28-year-old Jake. In terms of experience and pedigree, he is in another galaxy than Paul. But with the miles Joshua has on his odometer and his age at 36, he’s vulnerable.
So, it’s understandable why Hearn is looking worried for Joshua. There are two big fights in 2026 that Hearn is hoping will materialize against unified three-belt heavyweight champion Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury.
“I’m looking at AJ during the face-off, and I’m seeing a guy that isn’t messing around. And he won’t mess around on December 19th. He will go out there with bad intentions, and he’ll end this fight nice and early,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to The Stomping Ground about Anthony Joshua looking for a knockout against Jake Paul on December 19th in Miami.
Hearn’s body language and words don’t line up. He doesn’t look like a person who believes what he’s saying. Hearn knows he’s got a vulnerable fighter in Joshua, so he’s flat out worried about what the big puncher Jake Paul could do to him. He reminds Robert Segal of a young South African heavyweight, Gerrie Coetzee. The one with the “bionic right hand.” If he lands his right hand on Joshua, it’s over with.
“I think it was a bit of a bad decision. He’s going to make a load of money, but he could get sparked out seriously, and he will get sparked out seriously on December 19th,” Hearn said about Jake. “But the world will be tuning in to watch.”
Paul’s Bionic Power Factor
Hearn isn’t going to make Jake doubt himself ahead of next month’s fight with Joshua. He’s going to unleash that “Bionic right hand,” and if it lands on AJ, it’s going to be bad for his plans for 2026. He can forget about the Fury and the world title shot against Usyk.
“You’re fighting a world-class heavyweight, who, as soon as he hits you on the chin clean, it’s double Nyquil time, tucked in with a little with a little pillow,” said Hearn about Jake Paul.