Hearn Not Confirming Joshua–Paul Fight: “People Are Jumping the Gun”

Matchroom Boxing head Eddie Hearn responded to reports claiming that an agreement for a fight between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul is almost finalized.

"People rushed this a bit. There have been conversations. In fact, we had the idea of doing a small eight-round fight this year — not with Jake Paul, because he was supposed to fight Gervonta Davis. But we planned to put AJ on another card with an opponent you’ve probably never heard of.

But AJ wanted to complete every stage of preparation ahead of what Turki Alalshikh has planned: two fights in 2026. And one of those fights is Tyson Fury. That’s Turki’s plan.

Nakisa Bidarian from MVP called us — we had spoken a few months earlier. He asked: ‘Do you want to fight Jake Paul?’ I said I didn’t want noise, didn’t want everyone knowing you offered a fight to Anthony Joshua. If you’re serious — let’s talk numbers. If there’s a chance to fight in December, deal with this guy, send him out of boxing and make tens of millions in the process — of course we’ll consider it.

And yes, the numbers make sense. As you know, these discussions are complicated. But let’s be honest: should Jake Paul be fighting Anthony Joshua? No. Is he crazy enough to agree? Yes. Are there tens and tens of millions of dollars for Joshua for eight rounds with Jake Paul? Yes.

We’re exploring that option, and there is still work to be done. But can it happen? Yes, it’s possible,” Hearn said.

Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) last fought in 2024, when he was stopped by Daniel Dubois.

Jake Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) plans to return to the ring in December.