Promoter Eddie Hearn says that he sees Jake Paul as the front-runner to be Anthony Joshua’s next opponent, and that he “truly believes” the fight will happen in early 2026 with where things stand right now.
“This bizarre world that we live in, I think Jake Paul is absolutely the front-runner to fight Anthony Joshua next,” Hearn told Sky Sports. The promoter says there’s “open dialogue” between himself and MVP’s Nakisa Bidarian, who manages Paul and co-promotes with him.
Hearn has continued to take the promotional angle that the fight is exceptionally dangerous for Paul:
“You got Jake Paul fans thinking, bizarrely, they can beat Anthony Joshua, and the most bizarre thing out of everything is that Jake Paul genuinely believes he will beat Anthony Joshua. … I’m telling you, be careful for what you wish for because this is the most dangerous thing. This is like tuning in to watch David Blaine. You know when he’s in a box and you’re wondering whether he’s going to get out in time? I’ve told Nakisa, this ain’t David Blaine. This is going in with one of the fiercest punchers of our generation and if you go in there thinking you’re going to win, that’s even more dangerous.”
Hearn says that Joshua (28-4, 25 KO) is fully open to the fight, and the promoter believes we will see it in early 2026.
Joshua, 35, hasn’t fought since his rock-em-sock-em KO loss to Daniel Dubois 11 months ago at Wembley Stadium, but the last time he fought a novice pro boxer came in March 2024, when he absolutely obliterated and frankly embarrassed former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
The 28-year-old Paul (12-1, 7 KO) last fought on June 28, winning a decision over a washed-up, blown-up version of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, which followed a frankly pathetic display last November against an elderly Mike Tyson. Paul’s one and only time fighting anything approaching a truly serious pro boxer was his narrow loss to Tommy Fury in 2023, and calling Fury “truly serious” about his boxing career is probably charitable.
Do you think we really will see Joshua vs Paul?
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