Jake Paul Reveals Serious Gervonta Davis Fight Talks, Eyes Anthony Joshua Bout in 2026

Jake Paul is looking to level up with the competition he goes up against in the boxing ring.

In an interview with iFL TV (h/t Jed Meshew of MMA Fighting), Paul explained he had a fight with Gervonta Davis that was "scheduled" to happen before Tank pivoted to rematch with Lamont Roach Jr. for the WBA lightweight title.

"Yeah, it was highly talked about and in negotiations, and almost ready to make happen," Paul said. "But he has to do his rematch with Lamont and get that W. Then we’ll be able to run it back. But me and Gervonta were scheduled to fight, for sure."

Paul also revealed in the interview he's had early talks with former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua with an eye on 2026 for that bout.

"We’re going to plan that for 2026," Paul said. "I talked to Anthony on the phone. He called me up and was like, ‘I saw you called me out. Let’s run it. Let’s make it happen.’"

Paul and Davis engaged in a back-and-forth last year after Jake's bout with Mike Tyson.

There was speculation after Davis' bout with Roach on March 1 ended in a majority draw that a matchup with Paul would be next.

Davis told reporters during the post-fight press conference that his next opponent visited his dressing room before the bout. Astute viewers and analysts noted Paul came to see him.

Instead, Roach is expected to get his rematch after the controversy from their first bout. Davis fell to his knee after taking a jab in the ninth round, but the judges didn't score it as a knockdown for Roach. Two of the judges scored the fight a 114-114 draw, while the third had it 115-113 for Davis.

If the knockdown had been called, Roach likely would have won the round 10-8 and been able to swing the scorecards in his favor. His appeal to the New York State Athletic Commission was unsuccessful.

Per Sports Illustrated's Chris Mannix, the Davis-Roach rematch could happen as early as June 21 with "both sides now committed to running it back."

Paul said on his YouTube show last month that he wants to fight Joshua because Joshua "doesn't have a chin, and he has no skill and he's stiff."

In response to those comments, Joshua's promoter, Eddie Hearn, told Matchroom Boxing (h/t SI.com) that his client "would fight" Paul, but he was disappointed Paul wanted to wait until 2026.

"Do it in 2025 if you really want to do it," Hearn said.

Joshua is coming off a fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois for the IBF heavyweight title on Sept. 21.

Paul has an 11-1 record in 12 career boxing matches, though the quality of his opponents has been called into question even before he stepped into the ring with the 58-year-old Tyson on Nov. 15.