Will Jake Paul Fight Anthony Joshua? Former Champion's Promoter Comments on Talks

After reports surfaced that Jake Paul and former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua were finalizing a deal for a December fight, Joshua's promoter pumped the brakes on the situation.

Eddie Hearn told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast that "everyone has jumped the gun" with those reports, and a fight between Paul and Joshua is not imminent.

"Our focus is on 2026," Hearn said. "We have a big fight planned for February and a big fight hopefully against Tyson Fury next year. We may run out in 2025. We were just going to have a low-key fight somewhere - if that is going to destroy the run of Mr. Paul and make tens of millions of dollars in the process, then maybe. Nothing is confirmed yet."

Mike Coppinger of Ring Magazine reported on Wednesday that Paul and Joshua were finalizing a deal for a heavyweight fight on Netflix in December in Miami. Paul had expressed interest in facing the former two-time unified heavyweight champion while speaking to ESPN's Andreas Hale earlier this month.

"People are telling me to fight someone my own size. OK, how about I fight somebody who is bigger than me?" Paul said. "His size makes him a tougher challenge than [undisputed super middleweight champion Terence] Crawford. That's the most dangerous fight for me right now."

Paul was set to face WBA lightweight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis this Saturday in an exhibition bout before the fight was canceled. There would have been a major size discrepancy, as Davis competes at 135 pounds, while Paul fights closer to 200 pounds.

Joshua is a foot taller than Davis and 120 pounds heavier than him, so there's a chance Paul bit off more than he can chew by choosing him as his next opponent. However, the 28-year-old has maintained his confidence that he's the future of boxing, so perhaps it's the right time for him to face a major test.

For now, it sounds like fans are going to have to wait a bit longer before Paul and Joshua's fight becomes official.