Eddie Hearn says he’s still unsure if the Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul fight will take place yet. He says they’re still “considering it,” and they’re “working” on it.
Joshua Chasing Fury-Level Cash
Hearn states that if the Joshua-Paul fight gets made, it’ll make Joshua the “same kind of” money as he would if he faces Tyson Fury in 2026. If he’s correct about that, it makes perfect sense for AJ to fight Jake because the dough would be astronomical for him.
Moreover, the attention Joshua, 36, will receive worldwide for fighting Jake on Netflix will be massive. Paul’s reach on social is huge, dwarfing Tyson Fury’s with these numbers:
- YouTube: 20.8 million
- Instagram: 28.3 million
- TikTok: 18.1 million
- X: 4.6 million
- Facebook: 5.7 million
As for the criticism the former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) will receive from fans for fighting the YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, Hearn says, “You can’t eat legacy.”
AJ’s Legacy vs. Reality
Joshua has already taken huge criticism for fighting former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in 2024, as well as low-level fighters: Otto Wallin, Robert Helenius, and Jermaine Franklin in 2023.
“We don’t know if we’ll fight Jake Paul yet, but next year, we will fight in February,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to talkSport Boxing about Anthony Joshua’s plans. “Should Jake Paul be fighting Anthony Joshua? No. Is there tens, tens, tens, and tens of millions of dollars for Anthony Joshua to have an eight-round runout against Jake Paul? Yes.”
Hearn’s Wolfish Look
The wolfish look on Hearn’s face when he described the loot that Joshua would make fighting Jake Paul suggests that he’s going to do everything in his power to make the fight happen in December for AJ. He looked ravenous. It sure beats Joshua fighting a contender and potentially getting knocked out.
At this point, it’s hard to predict whether Joshua can beat even the bottom feeders in the top 15. Hearn was discussing a top 100-level heavyweight for AJ’s potential fight in December, but he said the money would only be in the “million” category.
Forget Legacy — Grab the Bag
“We’re not doing it. We’re considering it, and at the moment, there’s work to be done. But could it happen? Yes, it could. The same kind of levels,” said Hearn when asked if the money Joshua will make fighting Jake Paul will be more than what he’ll get fighting Tyson Fury.
If Joshua can truly make Fury-level money fighting Jake Paul, by all means, he needs to go in that direction for December. The negotiations for the Paul fight will likely be much easier for Hearn than dealing with ‘The Gypsy King.’ However, it’s unclear if Turki Alalshikh will be involved in the talks for the Joshua-Paul fight. Given his lack of interest in Canelo Alvarez fighting Jake Paul, you’d have to assume that he won’t be interested.
Joshua vs. Jake Paul is no more of a circus-level fight than this Saturday’s Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn 2 rematch. Both fit in the celebrity-esque category. As such, if Turki was willing to finance the Eubank Jr-Benn 2 between the two nepotism babies, he should be all in for the Joshua-Paul clash.
Jake Paul: The ATM Opponent
“Forget the legacy chat because you can’t eat legacy. I hate the chat as well, ‘He’s [Joshua] got a load of money,'” said Hearn about the flak that Joshua will receive for choosing to take a fight against the undeserving Jake Paul strictly for financial purposes only. In other words, greed.
Hearn makes a good point. The legacy stuff doesn’t pay as well as a Jake Paul oddity clash for Joshua. If we’re talking pure, dumbed-down entertainment, Joshua fighting Paul will be more interesting than AJ challenging for a heavyweight world title against Oleksandr Usyk. With Joshua’s recent record, he doesn’t deserve a title shot anyway.
“We can stick one on this geezer and do it in front of the whole world. Then we can go forward to the real stuff in 2026, which is really important to us. That’s fighting in February and fighting Tyson Fury or trying to get a shot at the world heavyweight championship,” Hearn said about how Joshua can destroy Jake Paul in the process in front of the entire civilized world, when or if the fight happens between them.