After Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., the boxing world is waiting for Jake Paul‘s next move. While a title clash with Gilberto Ramirez is on the cards, that fight is far away from happening anytime soon. On the other hand, his recent meeting with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh in New York a few days ago has created a remarkable buzz and has opened up a lot of options for his future.

One of those options is Anthony Joshua. The rivalry started when, in March, ‘The Problem Child’ called out the former heavyweight champion, claiming he would knock the latter out as his chin was all but gone. Fast forward to April, during the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano press conference, Paul revealed that ‘AJ’ had reached out to him, further raising the chances of a potential clash down the line. And finally, after months of speculations, it seems like Jake Paul has even convinced HE Alalshikh for the potential matchup.

Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua could happen after all!

During the Ring III official weigh-in, Eddie Hearn gave an exclusive interview to Boxing News. During the conversation, the promoter was ecstatic over every Matchroom boxer that would be in action in the next few months. However, with Hearn’s biggest asset, Anthony Joshua’s future still uncertain, the interviewer posed an obvious question: “Jake Paul’s adamant he’s going to face Anthony Joshua next year. Do you see that happening?

Surprisingly, the promoter did not dismiss the question and was a lot more confident. The reason? “After speaking to His Excellency last night. In this mad world that we live in, I wouldn’t be surprised,” he revealed. While Matchroom and AJ are still targeting the Tyson Fury matchup, Hearn acknowledged the need for a tune-up match for his boxer. “Our focus is to fight Tyson Fury, but he needs a fight before then. If that’s Jake Paul and if you guys want that fight, I know the numbers would be massive, the world would want to see it,” the British promoter said.

As we already know, Joshua is on board with the plan. After all, he reached out to Jake Paul himself after the callout. “I spoke to AJ about it, he said, ‘If you want me to flatten Jake Paul, I’ll do it.’ And I know there will be a lot of happy people, but that’s what Mr.Paul dines off. If we can do business with MVP, they’re doing great at the moment. In this crazy world, you never know, baby,” Hearn concluded.

Ever since the brutal loss against Daniel Dubois, fans have been waiting for AJ’s next move. And while Jake Paul’s claims have sparked the buzz, with even Hearn acknowledging the seriousness behind the talks, Matchroom CEO Frank Smith remains unsure.

AJ does not need the Disney Star

While appearing in an interview with Ariel Helwani recently, Smith assured the fans that Joshua will return pretty soon. “I think there’s a chance you’ll see Anthony Joshua this year,” he stated. However, at the moment, he is not sure of the opponent. But one thing he is certain of is that it is “not Jake Paul. I think if I [were] Anthony Joshua and I got an opportunity to fight a guy—that was a Disney star a few years back, no longer,” he stated.

Addressing the recent call-outs by ‘The Problem Child,’  Smith declared, “(Fighting AJ) is very different from fighting a 60-year-old Mike Tyson. Let’s be completely realistic about it,” claiming that Jake Paul won’t be able to survive the match if it ever happens.

As things appear, if the two men are onboard, neither Smith nor Eddie Hearn would be in a position to deny them the chance to fight each other. So, let’s just wait for things to unravel even more. In the meantime, let us know if you think Jake Paul will be able to lure AJ in for a match or not.