Jake Paul Finalizing Deal To Fight Anthony Joshua, Real Bout or Exhibition Unclear
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
Miami, Florida (November 13th, 2025)– Eddie Hearn, and Netflix or DAZN could have a blockbuster dynamite of December 2025, January 2026, or February 2026 show in Miami, Florida, and Jake Paul’s replacement opponent for Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis will add 100 pounds to the 40 to 50 million dollars pot.
On November 12, 2025, reporter Mike Coppinger of Ring Magazine lit the fire on X when he wrote “Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul are finalizing a deal for a heavyweight fight on Netflix in December (2025) in Miami, sources tell @ringmagazine. Paul steps up massively to fight the former heavyweight champion after his exhibition with Gervonta Davis was cancelled. Major props to Paul.” The Mike Coppinger X post on Joshua and Jake Paul did not distinguish between an exhibition bout and a real bout.
Subsequently, Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, confirmed Thursday widespread media reports talks took place with Jake Paul’s MVP Promotions as Hearn looks to secure what he described as a viable comeback bout option for his fighter, before taking on Tyson Fury. Joshua lost the only bout he ever had on American soil, a seventh-round stoppage to Andy Ruiz at Madison Square Garden in June 2019, in which he got knocked down three times.
Hearn told BBC Radi,o “He (Anthony Joshua has) been out of the ring for nearly a year and a half. If he receives several tens of millions (to fight Jake Paul) and we get a chance to silence this guy that’s annoyed the boxing community for a long time, then maybe (we will take the bout). Maybe (we will make the Jake Paul bout happen). A lot of (serious negotiations and contractual) work to do. Definitely not agreed yet. Paul is a YouTuber (and I am) is a little bit harsh on what Jake has done (accomplished in the ring). The focus for us (to this point has been focused on) really is 2026, and that is a big (comeback) fight in February or March 2026, and then Tyson Fury,” Hearn said. “We want the real stuff, but we want the business as well.”
Paul, 12-1 with seven knockouts, Dorado, Puerto, Rico, ‘The Problem Child’, who fought Mike Tyson for eight designated two minute rounds at 227 pounds heavyweight, will now face Anthony ‘A’J’ Joshua, the former World Heavyweight Champion, 28-4 with 25 knockouts, Golders Green, London, United Kingdom, in a 10 or 12 rounder with here minutes per round. A.J. has been inactive since getting knocked out by Daniel Dubois in five rounds, in a bout for the International Boxing Federation World Heavyweight title at Wembley in November 2024.
Paul is 28 years old. Joshua is 36 years old. Tyson was 49 years old when Paul fought him. It has not yet been stated whether Jake Paul versus Joshua will be an official bout or an exhibition bout. If Paul wins this bout, he could be a candidate for either a cruiserweight or heavyweight world title bout, if such a consideration could be deemed humanly possible. If Joshua knocks Paul, the length and distance of his bout could wind up being comparable to Joshua’s March 2024 brief Kingdom Arena bout with MMA Heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, in which Ngannou went three times and out.
Add 100 pounds to the opponent. Joshua is not Tank Davis. The question is whether Joshua just had a bad night against Daniel Dubois, or is washed up at his point. A bout between Jake Paul and Joshua, if for real, for all the ratings marbles, will be sh#t, piss or get off the pot for Jake Paul. Joshua could approach the bout cautiously, rather than his reckless underestimate your opponent approach to Dubois. If so, the bout with Jake Paul could be a silent sleeper and turn out to be one of the most mysterious bout matchups of all time.
Joshua is the second dream opponent for Jake Paul after Mike Tyson. There is a clear distinction in the quality of opponent. While it seems inconceivable on the surface to visualize Joshua versus Fabio Wardley, Joseph Parker, Zhilei Zhang, Filip Hrgovic, Joe Joyce, Agit Kabayel, Tyson Fury, Deontay Wilder, Moises Itauma, Dereck Chisora, Jarrell Miller, or Oleksandr Usyk, Joshua versus Jake Paul does seem conceivable.
Joshua appears to be a viable opponent to replace Tank Davis for five reasons: one, Daniel knocked him Joshua four times and knocked him out in a lopsided bout in which Joshua looked his worst; two, the Davis versus Paul bout was already scheduled and needs a replacement opponent after Davis got dropped due to a domestic abuse lawsuit (not his first rodeo); three, Joshua as an opponent is more respectable than the emotionally troubled Davis; the amount of money on the table, whether a real bout or exhibition, would tempt the devil; and five, the questions as to whether Jake Paul is for real or a boxing Zirconia and/or Anthony Joshua has anything left or not need to be answered decisively.
Joshua was 1-1 with Andy Ruiz, 0-2 with Oleksandr Usyk, and 0-1 with Daniel Dubois, in critical world title bouts. While Joshua has not been beaten in a non-title bout at Wembley or anywhere else, at age 36, the end of the road could be in sight, depending on what happens here. Is Jake Paul a legitimate fighter, or is he just a social media aardvark and a good TikTok and Instagram salesman? One way or the other, Jake Paul versus Anthony Joshua is a more respectable on the table possibility than Gervonta Davis.
If Joshua does agree to accept the Jake Paul challenge, and one month seems an inappropriate time to prepare for a legitimate heavyweight professional bout anyway properly, the world will be watching. It would be the biggest co-promotion ever for Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions and Eddie Hearn Matchroom Boxing, and a legitimate world-class boxing undercard would have to be assembled as part of ‘The Greatest Show on Earth’. Regardless of the payday by both combatants, it will be put up or shut up time for the smooth-talking Jake Paul, as the ring visit by Anthony Joshua, short of making a fool out of himself, will not be a social call.
In Tyson Fury for Deontay Wilder I in December 2018 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, this reporter correctly predicted a high-stakes 12-round draw. For Anthony Joshua versus Jake Paul, this reporter is going out on a line and predicting Joshua will win by 10 rounds decision or 12 rounds decision, winning eight or nine rounds on the scorecards, in a bout similar to Joshua’s 10 round decision win over Jermaine Franklin Jr. This is because A.J. can outbox Jake Paul in an extended bout without taking significant chances. To do this A.J. would have to weigh in at 240 pounds or less and train to win seriously.
If Joshua shows up at 250 pounds or higher, as he did for Daniel Dubois, the bout between Joshua and Jake Paul is instead predicted to end in a majority draw. The odds for this bout with the bookmakers will be contingent on what date the bout is set for. The more time Joshua has to train, the more favorable the odds will be in his favor, Whether the nature of the agreement, exhibition or a real bout, Paul could still win his bout if Joshua takes the bout for the cash and gives himself inadequate time to prepare, which is what Jake Paul is banking on. The most important point is crystal clear. Anthony Joshua will not be fighting Jake Paul for free. Those in the world who would be watching this bout will get their entertainment, for as long as it lasts, Ripley’s Believe or Not, this bou,t Anthony Joshua versus Jake Paul, is going to happen, coming to a streaming service or Pay-per-View near you.
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