Boxing

Eddie Hearn Reveals Lie That Led to Jake Paul Accepting Anthony Joshua Fight

Eddie Hearn admitted to a genius lie that helped convince Jake Paul to fight Anthony Joshua.
Grant Young|
Eddie Hearn after the WBC Interim World Flyweight bout at the BP Pulse Live on November 30, 2024.
Eddie Hearn after the WBC Interim World Flyweight bout at the BP Pulse Live on November 30, 2024. | IMAGO / PA Images

There are still a lot of questions about what compelled Jake Paul to accept a professional bout against Anthony Joshua on less than two months' notice after his scheduled bout against Gervonta "Tank" Davis fell through at the end of October.

Paul had endless options to choose from, given that dozens of fighters had called him out in the past, and just about everybody would be keen to meet him in the ring, given the payday they'd receive from doing so.

However, Paul picked Joshua, who is one of the worst possible matchups in the world for him. Not only is Joshua the much more experienced fighter, but he's massive compared to Paul.

Jake Paul deserves a lot of credit for being willing to fight Joshua. However, credit isn't going to keep him safe from Joshua's right hand in the ring. And if that punch finds home, credit won't keep Jake Paul from lying face-up on the canvas while the entire world is watching on Netflix on December 19.

Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua face off after a press conference on November 21, 2025
Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua face off after a press conference announcing their heavyweight boxing match at Kayesa Center. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Eddie Hearn Shares Fascinating Fib That Helped Finalize Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua Fight

The only stipulation for Anthony Joshua in this fight is that he must weigh 245 pounds or less at the official pre-fight weigh-in. However, there's no limit to what he can weigh on fight night. This doesn't seem like much of an advantage for Paul, given that he probably won't weigh more than 225 pounds in the ring that night.

However, Eddie Hearn (who is Joshua's promoter with Matchroom) told Jake Paul's team a lie regarding Joshua's weight that helped this fight get finalized, which was revealed in a November 24 article from ESPN.

"I spoke to [Joshua] and he was sitting at 265 pounds or something like that. I think I told [Paul's business partner] Nakisa that he was 290 pounds or something like that," Hearn was quoted as saying in the article.

"[Paul's team] said: 'The only thing is that Jake will weigh about 220 pounds and we want AJ to come down in weight.' He's a heavyweight and hasn't cut weight before. They said: 'Look we're not being funny and it's not that we need an advantage but we need you to have some disadvantage,'" Hearn added.

The implication here is that Hearn told Paul's team that he weighed 25 pounds more than he actually did to convince them he'd need a significant weight cut to make 245 pounds, which could presumably have depleted him and impacted his performance. Joshua weighing 290 pounds would also have suggested he wasn't training, thus giving Paul an advantage in that regard.

Therefore, Hearn's lie helped convince Paul's team to take the fight, which could be something they regret by the time the fight ends.

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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.