Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight edges closer with two-word verdict

Eddie Hearn believes there is a "very real" chance of a showdown between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul happening.

Earlier this year, Paul stunned the boxing world after he called for a fight with the two-time heavyweight champion. The YouTuber-turned-boxer return to the boxing ring back in June, defeating former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on points.

Immediately after the bout, Paul once again called for a clash with 'AJ.' Last month, the 28-year-old was ringside at Wembley Stadium for Oleksandr Usyk's vicious knockout victory over Daniel Dubois - and the American revealed that a fight with Joshua will take place next year.

Since then, discussions have taken place between Eddie Hearn and Paul's business partner, Nakisa Bidarian. Recently, Hearn provided an update on the fight and insists that there is a possibility that the dust-up will take place. “This is very real,” he told The Ring.

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“I had a good chat for about an hour with Nakisa on [July 30] and now I believe they want the fight. I really do. Nakisa was very honest and he’s 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. If they really want it, it will happen.”

Paul has only had one professional fight at heavyweight. The American took on boxing legend Mike Tyson back in November and cruised to a comfortable points victory. However, Hearn believes the 28-year-old will look to bulk up properly ahead of a potential showdown with Joshua. “There wouldn’t be such a huge difference. Jake would be a heavyweight on the night," he said.

“But, look, I can’t even necessarily justify it to you. It’s a mismatch in my opinion, it’s dangerous in my opinion but this is a guy, a cruiserweight who will be a heavyweight. I think Joshua is probably yet to get his head round it until he knows that it’s a possibility. After my call this week I’d say it’s definitely a possibility.

“AJ understands the commercial world and will look at this and see that it’s huge. It would probably be the biggest fight that could ever happen anywhere. It would be right up there with his biggest purses ever. You can talk about the boxing world but this would be the outer world."

Despite talks a potential clash could take place late next year, Paul's promoter and business partner - Bidarian - has revealed that the clash could happen a lot sooner than anticipated. Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "I think the fight can absolutely happen. I'm looking at it as Jake versus Joshua, which is quite biblical, and it's quite impactful in many ways. I think size wise, we can get comfortable with it, and I think experience wise, Jake is learning very fast and growing, and Joshua is a little long in the tooth. So it could be a very interesting matchup, and we're actively discussing it with Matchroom.

"I think we're looking at it happening at the start of 2026. It's public that AJ was taking a little time away, I think he had a little surgery. So once he's ready, and once Jake is ready, we're going to squarely focus on that. It's a fight that Jake wants to do, and that's a discussion we've had at length, and he feels very confident about where he is in his career and his chances of upsetting Anthony Joshua."

When is Jake Paul's next fight?

Following a successful return to the ring in June, Paul is hoping to remain active. The American is now eligible to challenge for a world championship after being included in the WBC's cruiserweight rankings following his triumph over Chavez Jr.

The 28-year-old's manager disclosed that his business associate is eager to compete for a world crown 'as soon as possible'. Nevertheless, he acknowledges it's unlikely to be his next bout, given the current situation at 200lbs. "Absolutely [he will fight again this year]. November or December," Bidarian told Ariel Helwani when asked about Paul's next steps.

"I'm seeing him tonight for dinner, and we will have a conversation [about his next opponent]. The only possibility right now is that Jake wants to fight for a belt as soon as possible. I have to talk to him, I think it's tough this year [to box for a world title]. Badou Jack is who he wants to fight more than anyone, and he has a mandatory rematch with the guy he just beat [Noel Mikaelian] for the WBC. I don't know if this year is possible [for the title fight], but we'll see."