Is Jake Paul really going to box Anthony Joshua?
There have been mixed messages this week, but this might not be the unthinkable fight that some think it is.
Paul has recently made known his desire to face the British heavyweight star, and after beating ex-world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in late June, the YouTuber has turned his attention to a potential bout with “AJ”.
It would not be Paul’s first time fighting a former world heavyweight champion, given he boxed a 58-year-old Mike Tyson – and won on points – in November. But Joshua is a different prospect altogether, even coming off a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September.
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Joshua recently underwent surgery due to an elbow injury and, according to his promoter Eddie Hearn, may have further physical issues to address. As such, Joshua’s next move is up in the air.
But Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi adviser behind the Gulf nation’s aggressive entry into boxing in recent years, has now addressed a potential clash between Joshua, 35, and Paul, 28.
“Me and [Jake Paul] are thinking [about] doing him against Anthony Joshua now,” Alalshikh told The Ring, a magazine that he owns. “If Joshua destroys him, it will be good for me; the headache of Jake Paul is finished. If Jake wins, I will know Joshua is finished and Jake deserves a ranking and a future in boxing. Jake accepted it, next week I will talk with Joshua about it.”
Within those words, Alalshikh was referring to the fact that Paul is now a ranked cruiserweight per the WBA.
The Saudi adviser and the American influencer have traded barbs from afar in recent months, with Alalshikh taking issue with Paul’s matchmaking in his own bouts.
Paul was on the verge of signing a fight with modern great Saul “Canelo” Alvarez earlier this year, but Alalshikh was able to thwart that contest and get the Mexican to sign a four-bout deal with Riyadh Season. Canelo has already fought once under that deal, beating William Scull to regain undisputed status at super-middleweight – a status that he will defend against multi-weight champion Terence Crawford in September.
Could that leave Paul to square off with Joshua? Potentially, although Paul seems to resent the idea that Alalshikh would be involved. The YouTuber-turned-boxer appeared to address the situation on Thursday (17 July), when he wrote on X/Twitter: “I will do what I want, with who I want, when I want, in the boxing ring.
“Anyone, anytime, anyplace. You rodents talk so much s*** but when I want to take on the biggest challenges you start having panic attacks and deciding my demise.”
Hearn told Pro Boxing Fans last week: “Yeah, I was with His Excellency [Alalshikh] yesterday, obviously he’d met Jake Paul. I think he would like to do it, you know, but it’s mad enough to happen.
“It’s not something we expected, it’s not something we’re targeting, [but] if it’s offered to us, I would be shocked if AJ didn’t accept it. Why wouldn’t you? The plan for us is to fight Tyson Fury next year, if we can squeeze in Jake Paul along the way and you guys want AJ to end this whole process, he’ll gladly do it.”
On Hearn’s rhetorical question: Why wouldn’t Joshua accept the fight? Paul’s boxing history shows that he can guarantee himself and his opponent an enormous payday, and AJ would naturally back himself to make short work of the American.
Paul is 12-1 as a professional with 7 KO wins, but he lost his most evenly-matched fight, suffering a points defeat by Tommy Fury (half-brother of Tyson Fury) in 2023.
Although Hearn endorses Joshua’s pursuits of a Tyson Fury fight and three-time world-champion status, the Matchroom boss would surely back Joshua to take the Paul bout. Hearn has had his own issues with the YouTuber in recent years, namely a defamation lawsuit against MVP that was settled out of court at the end of March.
And while Paul was unable to secure a fight with Canelo, he came remarkably close and was only undone by Alalshikh’s interference and Saudi money. This time, Alalshikh actively wants to make a Paul fight, if only to see the 28-year-old beaten.
Paul’s dealings with Canelo may actually be evidence that he could lock down a fight with Joshua, too. Paul spent years chasing Canelo, who dismissed the influencer as an unfairly easy opponent, and eventually an agreement was struck.
Paul vs Canelo was an unthinkable fight, until suddenly it wasn’t. The same can be said of Paul vs Joshua. The British public wants and arguably needs Joshua vs Fury, a generational domestic clash, now that the latter has come out of retirement yet again. Yet Paul vs Joshua might just be likelier than Joshua vs Fury. Imagine that.
