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Simon Jordan: Anthony Joshua didn’t want to KO Jake Paul early – it was for entertainment but everybody won

Simon Jordan believes Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua was nothing more than entertainment, with fight ultimately serving its purpose.

Paul and Joshua met in a somewhat farcical clash, which proved to be the exact mismatch that the boxing world expected.

Joshua left Paul with a broken jaw and a shattered boxing reputation, having finally found the mark in the sixth round, dropping him four times in total.

Jake Paul Anthony Joshua

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It was a big blow to the strange reputation that the ‘Problem Child’ had accepted as a boxing superstar, despite fighting limited opposition.

Naturally, many criticised the underwhelming spectacle which saw Paul simply try and survive and provide no competition to AJ.

Joshua himself was even frustrated that he didn’t get the stoppage earlier, suggesting to talkSPORT that he deserved criticism.

However talkSPORT’s Jordan believes Joshua would have held back to save the entertainment side of the event, and give fans more than a quickfire demolition job.

He said: “Depends what you think this was. I never thought this was anything other than entertainment.

“Anthony Joshua could have knocked Jake Paul out any time he wanted too. He didn’t want too.

“When you are on an entertainment platform like Netflix, why would you want to knock someone out in 30 seconds?

“Jake Paul proved he could run, but with due respect to the situation Anthony Joshua didn’t throw any meaningful punches.

“But he’s been broken into the US as a media star now and Netflix got their content, and Paul did what he did.

“So everybody wins. The bottom line is, you take nothing from this, it was an entertainment product.”

Jordan’s final verdict on Joshua

Despite suggesting Joshua didn’t use his full powers to wipe Paul out as soon as possible, he believes it was ultimately job done.

And it is now suggested that Joshua could have earned a shot at Fabio Wardley, who Jordan believes will be enticed by watching AJ’s display.

He continued: “Maybe it gets him a fight with Fabio Wardley now.

“Maybe it lures Fabio Wardley into the thinking he will beat this version of Joshua, and the real version of Joshua turns up.

“He took his time with Paul and had no real reason to go out there and get rid of him when he felt like it.

Jordan had no interest in the contest as a real contest, and simply believes Joshua just did what he did to get over the line

“Everybody knows what a legitimate fight, this wasn’t one. It did [restore faith in boxing].”

What next for Anthony Joshua?

Joshua is anticipated to return in February or March 2026 as he looks to keep up his activity after a year out of the ring before beating Paul.

After Reviewing Anthony Joshua Punch Doctor Makes Worrying Jake Paul Claim

A neurosurgeon with more than 25 years of experience has broken down Anthony Joshua’s sixth-round knockout of Jake Paul from a medical perspective.

Joshua’s hand was raised on Friday after the former two-time unified heavyweight champion scored four knockdowns, including a heavy right hand in the sixth round that broke Paul’s jaw in two places.

“The end goal was to pin Jake Paul down and hurt him,” said Joshua in his post-fight interview. “It took a bit longer than expected, but the right hand finally found the destination.”

Doctor Makes Worrying Jake Paul Claim After Reviewing Anthony Joshua Punch

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The punch that put a stop to the contest could be a career-altering one for Paul, according to promoter Eddie Hearn.

“He may never be able to fight again,” Hearn said. “People just think, ‘Oh, you just get your jaw wired, bolted together by a couple of screws, and on you go.’ There have been many fighters who have had their jaws broken that never boxed again.”

Chris Algier, a former boxing world champion, described the injury as “catastrophic”, adding: “He’s going to be out of the ring for a while. We’ll see how that jaw comes together.”

Many people have had their say on the knockout, including Dr Brian Hoeflinger, a board certified Neurosurgeon who has been practising in Ohio for the past 25 years.

Hoeflinger, who has over 450,000 followers on Instagram, explained the damaging effect a punch like Joshua’s can have on the brain.

“Jake Paul got knocked out by Anthony Joshua this past Friday night, so I want to break this down from a medical perspective,” he said in the Instagram video.

“I’m a neurosurgeon with over 25 years of experience and, what happens when you get hit in the head with that kind of force, like in boxing, our brain actually moves inside our skull and it can bump into the skull, which is a firm structure, and cause bruising in the brain, even bleeding.

“It causes repeated trauma to the brain and over years and years of this happening, people can get what’s called chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE syndrome.”

He added: “It’s almost like a disease. Repeated trauma to the brain can lead to memory problems, mood swings, even trouble with movements. Eventually, people can develop diseases like Alzheimer’s and even Parkinson’s.”

Paul’s injury has also been studied by Dr Brian Sutterer, a doctor who uses his YouTube channel to analyse the medical side of sport.

Sutterer explained that the first phase of treatment will be checking for head injuries, including a concussion.

“Step one [is checking for] head injuries, airways, breathing, and evaluating the teeth,” he said. “They will also look at the temporomandibular joint and evaluate the degree of displacement.

“If you can successfully reduce and get everything in good position and get fixation between the maxilla and the mandible through something like wires for a short temporary amount of time, that’s great.

“If that reduction cannot be maintained, that’s when you’re going to have to go and consider something like a surgery.”

Former world champion Anthony Joshua is now back in action and looking for big fights in 2026.

He is coming off a sixth-round KO of Jake Paul, which was his first contest in more than a year since being stopped by Daniel Dubois in September 2024.

The question for Joshua, who is now 26 years old, is whether he needs another tune-up fight or if he is ready to go back into the most entertaining fights out there.

Anthony Joshua Offered Two Dangerous Opponents Ahead Of Tyson Fury: “Sign It”

Speaking to The Stomping Ground, Frank Warren suggested two of his men that Joshua could fight next.

“If he really wants to fight, fight Moses now, fight Fabio Wardley now. Do it tomorrow, sign it tomorrow. If he says yes, on Christmas Day I’ll go round there and we’ll get the deal done. Of course I’ll do it, why wouldn’t I do it? You want fight of the world title, fight Fabio Wardley.

“In the meantime, you want to wait for Tyson, wait for Tyson. All these people saying he needs to get back in there to get back to a world title, he’s not a spring chicken, is he? He’s been around, he’s a former two time world champion, get back in there, fight Fabio Wardley. Let me tell you what it is, what he doesn’t need to do, ‘AJ,’ is fight anyone who can punch, cause there won’t be a fight with Tyson.”

Moses Itauma is still a young and rising star with a perfect record of 13 wins, 11 by KO and nine inside the first two rounds, though he is busy at the end of January fighting American Jermaine Franklin who has previously taken Joshua and Dillian Whyte the full 12 rounds.

Wardely meanwhile, is looking to make a first defence of the WBO title he holds, having been elevated to full champion once Usyk vacated his belt rather than face his mandatory.

For the first time, Deontay Wilder has addressed in detail — and in his own words — the collapse of an undisputed heavyweight title fight with Anthony Joshua.

The clarification matters because the Joshua–Wilder saga has been repeatedly distorted over the years, with later negotiations and unrelated decisions used to blur the original timeline. Wilder’s recent remarks draw a clear line between what actually happened and what was later claimed, explaining precisely when — and why — the fight fell apart.

The $50 Million Offer That Was Rejected
In 2018, the WBO, IBF, and WBA champion, Joshua, publicly demanded a guaranteed $50 million to fight WBC ruler Wilder in the United States. That figure was met.

Deontay Wilder Anthony Joshua

READ: VIDEOS: Why Logan Paul Tried to Steal Anthony Joshua’s Chain at Jake Paul Fight

As WBN exclusively reported at the time, Wilder’s team — backed by Showtime — produced a written term sheet confirming the offer. Wilder was authorized to make the proposal public after Joshua named his price.

Speaking recently on Cigar Talk, Wilder confirmed that sequence, explaining that once Joshua requested the figure, sponsors and broadcasters immediately stepped forward, confident the fight would generate far more through pay-per-view and commercial revenue.

Wilder said he was instructed to announce the offer publicly — a decision later questioned by critics, despite the existence of written documentation.

That documentation was outlined by Wilder’s co-manager, Shelly Finkel, in a June 2018 WBN exclusive, in which he confirmed that Matchroom Boxing had received the terms but had never issued a response.

Wembley Counteroffer Accepted — Then Silence
After rejecting the U.S. offer, Joshua countered with a £15 million proposal to fight at Wembley Stadium.

Contrary to popular belief, Wilder accepted those terms.

As contracts were exchanged, Finkel requested clarification on two specific points, a routine part of negotiations at that level. According to WBN’s reporting at the time, no response was ever received.

Shortly afterward, the World Boxing Association ordered Joshua to agree terms with mandatory challenger Alexander Povetkin.

Rather than continue toward the undisputed fight, despite active negotiations, Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn moved immediately toward the mandatory defense.

The WBA Exception That Was Never Requested
Hearn later cited pressure from the WBA as the reason the Wilder fight could not proceed. That explanation did not withstand scrutiny.

In a second June 2018 WBN exclusive, Finkel revealed that Joshua never requested an exception from the WBA — something the organization had previously granted for major unification bouts, including Wladimir Klitschko’s.

Finkel stated that had Joshua asked, the WBA would almost certainly have approved the Wilder fight over the mandatory defense.

The sanctioning body, therefore, was not the obstacle it was later portrayed to be.

Where the Narrative Went Wrong
The confusion surrounding Joshua vs. Wilder stems from comments made years later, during a different phase of both fighters’ careers.

Promoter Lou DiBella has acknowledged that Wilder did decline a Joshua offer, but that occurred after the undisputed fight had already collapsed and during a later DAZN-era window.

Joshua did not sign with DAZN until 2022, making those discussions unrelated to the $50 million Showtime offer, the Wembley acceptance, or the failed 2018 unification attempt.

Those timelines were repeatedly merged, leading to a misunderstanding of how the original collapse occurred.

Wilder’s Position — Then and Now
Wilder has consistently maintained that he was willing to compromise, even accepting a lower financial structure than other champions had received, while remaining true to his word in subsequent fights.

His position has not materially changed. What has changed is the clarity surrounding the sequence of events and the willingness to address them directly.

A Fight That Finally Happened — Then Didn’t
Wilder and Joshua eventually signed contracts to fight in December 2023, agreeing to face each other in a long-awaited matchup.

Both fighters were placed in separate bouts on the same Day of Reckoning card, with the intention of meeting afterward.

That plan unraveled when Wilder suffered a loss to Joseph Parker, while Joshua won his fight, ending any immediate path to the matchup.

The proposed rescheduled fight for March 2024 never materialized. Instead, Joshua faced Francis Ngannou on the same night he had been expected to meet Wilder.

The Record, Corrected
Wilder’s recent comments do not rewrite history. They confirm it.

World Boxing News reported the facts as they unfolded in 2018:

– A $50 million offer was made in writing
– A Wembley fight was accepted by Wilder
– Clarifications were requested and ignored
– No WBA exception was sought
– Joshua chose a mandatory defense instead

The later claim that Wilder “turned down” Joshua belongs to a different period, involving different broadcasters and different negotiations.

With Wilder now addressing the collapse directly — and the modern chapter closed — the timeline is no longer in dispute. What remains is a clearer understanding of how long it took for the record to be accurately reflected.

Last weekend’s Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight was full of viral moments.

However, one of the most bizarre came just moments after the fight ended, as Jake’s brother, Logan Paul, attempted to steal a $500,000 chain from around the Brit’s neck.

The contest itself ended in the sixth round, when ‘AJ’ knocked ‘El Gallo’ out with a massive right hand. The first stoppage defeat of Jake’s 14-bout professional career was a costly one. It left the American with a broken jaw in two places, facing a long period out of the ring.

Despite the devastating nature of the finish, the camps for both fighters appeared on good terms as they gathered in the ring waiting for veteran MC Michael Buffer to announce the official decision.

Before that announcement could be made, though, Logan could be seen getting into a scuffle with the Londoner. Netflix cameras showed the two men being separated by security, although it was not immediately clear what had happened.

Video footage later emerged of Logan attempting to unfasten the chain from around AJ’s neck. Per The Sun, the chain was a custom piece gifted to Joshua by crypto company Polymarket.

Anthony Joshua was Raging When Logan Paul Tried to Steal His Chain

Joshua wasn’t at all happy, bellowing: “My chain, my chain.” Logan would plead his innocence, holding his hands up, saying he did nothing wrong, but the Londoner was still fuming as a member of his team would put the chain back around him. As Joshua was leaving the ring, the American tried to get in another nibbling comment in the ear of the victor.

Nothing more was said about the incident in the aftermath, until Logan spoke to DAZN in the days following the bout.

Reflecting on the fight as a whole, ‘The Maverick’ stated: “I think Jake’s just elated with how it went. He lasted way longer than everyone thought he would.”

Logan Paul was Bitten by Anthony Joshua’s Security After His Stunt

Logan Paul

 

The interview quickly turned to Logan’s post-fight antics, where he revealed that a member of Joshua’s security team had actually bitten him. Explaining why he tried to steal the chain in the first place, he said:

“He snatched my brother’s jaw. I snatch your chain,” he said. “It’s a Polymarket chain. Did you see it? Did you see that thing? Like a half-million-dollar chain. You snatched my brother’s jaw. I snatch your chain. Except, I couldn’t get it off. I texted the Polymarket guys. I’m like, ‘Dude, this is a high-quality chain. I couldn’t get it off!

“One of Anthony Joshua’s guys bit me. Then my security then threw him out of the way. It was a whole thing.”

Despite his stoppage loss, Jake intends to fight on. Whenever he next boxes, though, he might just ask Logan to be a little calmer while at ringside.

It remains a risky fight that Anthony Joshua and his promoter, Eddie Hearn, are unlikely to pursue.

Wardley’s Recent Form

Fabio Wardley has shown consistent power and durability. He stopped Joseph Parker in the 11th round on October 25 and previously broke down David Adeleye in seven rounds in October 2023. Those performances place Wardley outside the type of opponent Joshua has typically faced since his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.

Anthony Joshua knocks out Jake Paul to win heavyweight fight - Los Angeles  Times

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Hearn has said in past interviews that Joshua would “prefer” the Wardley fight, though the broader direction has continued to point elsewhere. Saudi-backed planning, including the influence of Turki Alalshikh, has remained focused on a potential bout with Tyson Fury, not on a high-risk matchup against an unbeaten contender.

Joshua’s Current Position

Wardley’s team has indicated that a WBO title opportunity could be made available to Joshua without a qualifying bout. Even so, there has been no public movement toward finalising that fight. Joshua’s only win since the Dubois loss came against Jake Paul, yet he continues to be positioned for major opportunities.

At present, there is no indication that Joshua or his representatives intend to act on Wardley’s availability.

The greatly-anticipated collision of Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury could be on our screens next summer, with promoter Frank warren hoping to stage the mega fight at Wembley Stadium. 

Joshua publicly challenged his old rival after his sixth-round knockdown of YouTuber Jake Paul in Miami last weekend.

Neither heavyweight has a place at the top table any more, having both been schooled by Ukraine’s brilliant Oleksandr Usyk. However, there is a little doubt such a battle of Britain would be an all-time box office smash hit.

Tyson Fury Anthony Joshua

READ: Jake Paul admits biggest mistake against Anthony Joshua, trashes Francis Ngannou

Joshua is expected to fight in Riyadh, Saudi, in February next year but that comes too early for the Gypsy King, who will be away on holiday with his family.

But his promoter Warren told the Sun: ‘For him now to go on holiday and to come back and be ready to fight in February is going to be an impossibility.

‘And I’m told AJ’s definitely fighting in February, so it’s tight and if you’re going to put it on either Wembley or Riyadh, that’s where it would go.

‘And I believe Wembley’s the home for it. And if it’s Wembley you’ve got to wait till summer anyway. So Tyson is not going to sit around waiting seven months before he steps back in the ring having been out for nearly a year anyway. But he won’t be fighting a YouTuber!’

Joshua has been mocked within the sport for lowering his sights when taking on Paul, with many refusing to take the clash seriously.

Joshua, 36, has now been linked with a crossover clash against the kickboxer Rico Verhoeven, also 36, for his Saudi Arabia return.

The Watford man’s four defeats down the years, twice on points against Usyk sandwiched between knockdowns by Andy Ruiz and Daniel Dubois, would provide a more realistic guide as to his chances of matching Fury.

The 37-year-old Fury could fight again by April in what would be used as a tune-up before facing AJ. He retired in January following consecutive losses to Usyk, but few believed they had seen him in the ring for the last time.

Warren said: ‘That would give him time to prepare and get ready providing all the financials are OK.

‘I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago, because he’s been travelling and it’s simplistic with Tyson, “You know, what my requirements are, if they get met, I’ll be there on the night”.

‘He’s said he wants to. I know he’s sort of been he training, not training to fight, but he’s been ticking over and keeping himself fairly well.’

Jake Paul might be gunning for Francis Ngannou next.

This past weekend, Paul took on his biggest boxing challenge yet, facing off with Olympic gold medalist and former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua; it did not go great for him. Paul, who was significantly smaller than Joshua, spent most of the early rounds minimizing engagements and wrestling before getting brutally stopped in the sixth round with a right hand that broke his jaw in two places. But despite the poor outcome, Paul remains upbeat in the aftermath.

“I mean, it’s not that hard to get your ass beat [laughs],” Paul joked, speaking with his brother, Logan Paul, on the IMPAULSIVE podcast. “Actually, I won two rounds, then he won two, then I got dropped. But yeah, I was doing good. I just think my cardio, the mental pressure of the big guy, and sparring the big people, is different than the 10-ounce gloves. So I was feeling his power more. But it was great experience. I learned a lot in there.”

Jake Paul v Anthony Joshua

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No official scorecards have been released for the bout, so it’s unclear if Paul had actually won any rounds, but the YouTuber-turned-boxer clearly feels pretty good about his performance, especially given the circumstances. Originally, Paul was set to face lightweight Gervonta Davis in an exhibition bout in November, but that bout was cancelled after Davis was named in a civil suit alleging domestic violence. Instead, Paul and his promotion, Most Valuable Promotions, pushed the event back to December, and he went from fighting a lightweight to a former heavyweight champion, without proper preparation.

“It was just mental,” Paul said. “It was just like, him imposing his will on me, and being massive, and the big shots landing. Then, yeah, it pretty much all goes downhill from there.

“I wish I had more than three weeks to prepare, to maybe put on some more muscle to be able to sit there and hit him. And I should have gone to altitude to train. That was my biggest mistake. I felt good about [my camp], yeah. But I just needed to have that extra level of cardio for this, and that only can come from going to altitude.

“It’s a great experience overall to be in there with someone that’s that good. I learned a lot. I see where I could have done better. So, I’m a little disappointed, but I also know how good he is. But I had him wobbled at one point. I had him wobbled.”

And though he may have lost, Paul did at least accomplish something he set out to do before the fight started: survive for longer than former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who lost to Joshua by brutal second-round knockout in March of 2024.

“I told everyone that I would do better than Francis, and that Francis kinda got no chin,” Paul said. “Francis is low-key soft.”

After Paul’s fight with Davis fell through, Ngannou was contacted to see if he might be interested in fighting Paul, carrying on Paul’s trend of boxing MMA fighters; however, “The Predator” turned down the offer. While the two have previously supported each other at times, things have also been combative at points, and now it seems Paul wants to take that into the ring.

“I’ll fight Francis,” Paul said. “That’s a good idea, actually. I think maybe now he’ll take it, and be like, ‘Oh, shit.’

Anthony Joshua beat Jake Paul as many expected this past weekend.

This contest was a huge mismatch in every way. Joshua has been fighting for almost 20 years at the top level, starting out at the Olympics with a gold medal, then quickly imposing himself on the heavyweight division.

He became world champion in 2016, when Paul was still acting on the Disney Channel, and unified the division with some huge fights against the likes of Wladimir Klitschko and Joseph Parker.

Anthony Joshua Delivers Honest Verdict On Jake Paul’s Power

He came unstuck in 2021 and 2022 with back-to-back defeats to Oleksandr Usyk, and also lost to Daniel Dubois last time out in September 2024.

Meanwhile, Paul has fought largely ageing boxers past their best, and old MMA stars who have switched codes. As such, it was little surprise to see him stopped inside six rounds and leave the ring with a badly broken jaw, having barely landed a glove on Joshua.

Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Joshua was asked how he felt about his performance.

“Could have been better but we got there in the end.”

He was then rather dismissive when asked about Paul’s power.

“It was alright.”

Finally, he was asked if he was surprised Paul lasted as along as he did.

“Kinda.”

Joshua will be looking to get back to fighting more credible opponents in 2026 as he looks to work his way back into world title contention or the biggest fights possible.

The one the fans most want to see is with Tyson Fury, his fellow Brit and long time rival, and the man ‘AJ’ called out in the ring soon after his fight with Paul ended. For now, Fury is still retired, having left the sport back in January, just days after his second straight loss to Usyk.