Boxing

Eddie Hearn Brilliantly Praises And Roasts Jake Paul In 70 Seconds Of Interview Gold

Matchroom Boxing's Eddie Hearn won't be shutting down a potential fight between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua.
Grant Young|
IMAGO / PA Images

In the wake of his unanimous decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on June 28, Jake Paul decided to call out British heavyweight icon Anthony Joshua, along with several other top stars in the sport.

This isn't the first time that Jake Paul has called Joshua (who held the unified world heavyweight championship twice between 2016 and 2021 and won an Olympic gold medal at the London 2012 games) out, as the two have gone back and forth several times over the past year or so.

And Paul elaborated on this when speaking with the media after Saturday's victory, saying, "Anthony Joshua," when asked if there's any other non-championship fighters he'd like to face next.

His business partner Nakisa Bidarian then added, "I think that's the main one that we've talked a lot about... And [Jake] is adamant that he wants to make that fight happen by the end of 2026."

Joshua's promoter is the infamous Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing. And when Hearn was asked about a potential Paul vs. Joshua bout by SkySports on July 1, he offered Paul a hilarious back-handed compliment.

"I think I've surprised myself this week, because I actually have given [Paul] the respect that I think he deserves," Hearn said. He later added, "Is [Paul] top 15 in the world? Don't be so ridiculous. But is he top 100 in the world? Maybe. And by the way, that might not sound like a compliment. That's a big compliment!"

"Look, he's a disruptor. He wants to create mad moments. If he wants to be mad enough to get in the ring with Anthony Joshua, and make several tens or potentially hundreds of millions, he will do it, Jake Paul," Hearn added. "Will AJ? I mean, he's his own man, but I would be saying, 'Hey, go on mate. Go and deal with this guy. Get him out of the game.' And I think a lot of people would tune in to watch.

"Is it a fight that I think should be happening? No. Not really. But we live in a completely crazy world," Hearn concluded.

Watch the interview below.

Hearn isn't alone in thinking Paul is insane for wanting to fight Joshua.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.