A potential showdown between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua has been teased for months. Early negotiations revealed both parties were sympathetic to the idea, with even His Excellency Turki Alalshikh showing interest in bringing the matchup to life. Despite some initial hesitancy, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, was willing to consider Paul as a high-profile detour before Joshua turned his entire attention to a long-anticipated battle with Tyson Fury next year. But after a while, the negotiations lost steam and the excitement started to evaporate.

Just a few days ago, Eddie Hearn appeared in an interview with Boxing Social and addressed the stalled negotiations. “Jake Paul wants $40 million to fight Anthony Joshua. It’s not happening,” Hearn stated bluntly. He went on to question The Problem Child’s seriousness, saying, “I don’t trust that he would take the fight. I think Francis Ngannou would destroy him, let alone AJ.” In response, Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of MVP, dismissed Hearn’s claims, asserting that the $40 million figure was false and, more importantly, that the fight is indeed in the works.

Just a few hours ago, Sky Sports Boxing shared a post on X with the caption: “Jake Paul’s manager, Nakisa Bidarian, on the prospect of Paul fighting Anthony Joshua 🗣️.” In the attached clip, Bidarian gave an update on the much-talked-about Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua matchup, stating confidently, “I think the fight can absolutely happen.” He also offered a deeper perspective, adding, “I’ve been looking at Jake vs. Joshua, which is quite biblical and quite impactful in many ways.”

Bidarian went on to explain why he believes Jake Paul could emerge victorious in the potential showdown. “If you look at it, Anthony Joshua, I think he is 28-4, if I’m not mistaken. And two of those losses are against Oleksandr Usyk,” he pointed out. “Usyk weighed 220 lbs for those fights. Jake is not Usyk, a lot more years of experience are needed to reach that level, but Jake walks around at 210 to 211 lbs and fought Mike Tyson at 228 lbs. So I think, size-wise, we can be comfortable with it. And in terms of experience, Jake is learning fast and improving, while Joshua is a little long in the tooth. It could be a very interesting matchup, and we are actively discussing it with Matchroom.”

While most boxing purists and longtime fans consider the idea of such a bout a joke, seeing it as a threat to Anthony Joshua’s legacy, the interest from Jake Paul’s camp, along with Turki Alalshikh’s backing, has kept the conversation alive. When asked, Eddie Hearn maintained a pragmatic stance. “I don’t really have an opinion, I listen to the market,” Hearn said. “If the market says they want that product, you bring out that product. If the market wants darts, I’ll do darts events. If the market wants to see Anthony Joshua against the YouTuber, or influencer, the market has spoken. And anyone in business who doesn’t listen to the market doesn’t stay in business very long.”

With few options left on the table for the veteran promoter, the fight seems to be edging closer to reality, and if it does happen, one of the Watford native’s former opponents already has a prediction for how it will play out.

Think you know Jake Paul? Think again.

With talk swirling around a potential fight between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul, Tyson Fury has made an unexpected prediction. While many dismiss Jake Paul’s ambitions as unrealistic, The Gypsy King sees things differently. “I think Jake Paul knocks him out,” Fury told The Ring. “I just think Jake Paul would knock AJ out.” Paul, notably, is coming off a unanimous decision win over former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., a result that’s added some weight to his growing boxing résumé.

Before that, the 12-1 boxer secured a controversial victory over 58-year-old Mike Tyson in November, a bout criticized for its lack of competitiveness. Still, despite scrutiny over his choice of opponents, Fury believes Jake Paul’s trajectory is trending upward, especially when contrasted with Joshua’s recent struggles. Last year, Joshua was knocked out in the fifth round by Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium, a loss Fury believes marked a serious turning point. “I think AJ is a spent force,” Fury added, “and I think Jake Paul is on the rise.”

Tyson Fury has publicly said that he thinks Jake Paul will win Anthony Joshua, but the bout is still up in the air with no official word. Fans are still unsure if the fight will actually happen because both sides have made contradictory statements. There is still a lot of disagreement over the matchup, though. Who do you think would have won if it had happened?