Eddie Hearn has warned Jake Paul that his head would be ‘removed from his neck’ if he enters the ring with Anthony Joshua.
Paul, 28, cruised to a controversial victory over veteran heavyweight icon Mike Tyson by unanimous decision last November and the YouTuber-turned boxer has ramped up talk of a proposed fight with Joshua this week.
Joshua is looking to return to winning ways in the wake of a crushing knockout defeat at the hands of Daniel Dubois six months ago, but an injury has put the 35-year-old Brit’s comeback on hold.
Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, has confirmed his fighter would be open to facing off against Joseph Parker as a ‘final roll of the dice’ when he does eventually work his way back to full fitness.
A rematch with Dubois or a blockbuster showdown with Tyson Fury have also been mooted as potential match-ups, though the latter appears a long way off after the Gypsy King seemingly retired from the sport at the start of the year.
Sensing an opportunity and a hefty payday, Paul made clear his intentions on his BS w/ Jake Paul podcast last week, directly calling out Joshua as his next opponent.
‘I want to fight Anthony Joshua because I know that I will f***ing beat Anthony Joshua’s a**,’ Paul said.
‘He doesn’t have a chin, and he has no skill and he’s stiff.’
Paul added: ‘I love you, Anthony.
‘We’re friends, all this s***, but I want to fight you.’
Joshua did little to dampen the speculation shortly after the podcast was released, reposting a screenshot of his recent phone call with Paul, along with the caption ‘2026’ and a shushing emoji.
But Hearn has taken a dim view of Paul’s antics and believes the ‘mad’ American risks serious injury should he agree to take on the ‘obscene’ challenge.
‘Jake might be mad enough to do it,’ Hearn told talkSPORT.
‘Because all Jake thinks about is the money, right? The money he will get for fighting AJ is obscene.
‘But he doesn’t take into consideration the medical consequences that would come for a fight like that.
‘There is potential that you may never see his head again after that fight.
‘It would be removed from his neck. But he’s just thinking, “£100m, that’s alright”.
‘You’ve got to be careful what you wish for to be honest with you.’
Hearn went on to question Paul’s offer to fight in 2026 but did not categorically rule out the possibility that Joshua ‘spark out’ the social media star should the opportunity arise.
‘He did say 2026. That’s a bit like saying I’m going to win gold in the surfing in the Olympics in 2028. You know what I mean? Why not now?’ Hearn added.
‘If you want to fight AJ, you’re not going to get any better. But look, we’re in that position.
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‘When we had the World Heavyweight Championship and all that kind of stuff, if Jake Paul came out and said, fight us, obviously, we’d go, no, we’re trying to become undisputed.
‘But if someone slung a load of money at AJ and said, go and spark Jake Paul, I’d be pushing him in it myself.
‘It’s definitely not a fight that was on the radar for AJ. But in the mad world that we live in, I’d never say never.
‘The 2026 thing is a bit of a cop out. We’ll do it next if you want.’
Should AJ fight Jake Paul?
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Yes
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No
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