Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua Fight Gets Positive Update From Eddie Hearn

After improving to 12-1 with a lackluster decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Jake Paul claimed he wanted his next fight to be against Anthony Joshua. The influencer has gained a reputation for making similar aimless callouts before, but he might actually get the fight he wants.

Paul, 28, mentioned Joshua's name in his post-fight press conference and reiterated that claim days later on his podcast. Joshua, who has been with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing for over a decade, initially shrugged off the callout.

However, Hearn is now more receptive to the idea after meeting with Most Valuable Promotions CEO Nakisa Bidarian.

"This is very real," Hearn told The Ring Magazine. "I had a good chat for about an hour with Nakisa on Wednesday, and now I believe they want the fight, I really do. Nakisa was very honest, and he was concerned about the fight, but Jake truly believes he can win the fight, or at least be competitive in it.

"And now, because of the size of the fight, it leads me to believe there's a very good chance it could happen. If I had to rate that chance, I would say it's 50-50. It was a very positive conversation and we expect that conversation to extend over the coming weeks."

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Joshua, 35, is inarguably one of the greatest heavyweights of the modern era, reigning over the division for the majority of a five-year span from 2016 to 2021. However, he is just 4-3 in his last seven fights and coming off a brutal knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.

Jake Paul's persistent callouts of Anthony Joshua

Paul's initial callout of Joshua was fairly respectful, but he took a different route on his podcast. The former YouTuber said he wants to fight Joshua because he "knows" that he would "f****** beat Anthony Joshua's a**." Paul claimed that the former champion "doesn't have a chin" and "has no skill."

Paul has previously called out undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, former UFC two-division champion Alex Pereira, and IBF cruiserweight champion Jai Opetaia. None of the callouts came close to materializing, leading fans to believe the same would happen when he pushed for a matchup with Joshua.

Nothing about the matchup fit into Paul's M.O., due to his tendency to face older, big-name opponents whom he significantly out-weighs. A fight with Joshua would certainly make headlines, but the English star would dwarf Paul in the ring, a component the latter is not used to facing.

Paul recently headlined a Netflix fight card against boxing icon Mike Tyson, but there is a substantial difference between fighting a 58-year-old Tyson and a 35-year-old Joshua.

If the fight ever comes to fruition, it would still not be for several months. Bidarian and Paul both previously acknowledged that they are targeting that matchup for 2026.

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