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| Anthony Joshua could face Jake Paul(Image: AFP via Getty Images) |
Anthony Joshua's next match inside the squared circle could be against Jake Paul with Wembley Stadium being lined up as a potential venue for the farcical fight
Anthony Joshua could face Jake Paul early next year with Wembley Stadium being lined up as a potential venue for the farcical fight.
The two-time heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medallist is seriously considering taking on the motormouth YouTube star in a real fight.
The British Boxing Board of Control would come under serious fire if they sanctioned a bout between such an experienced fighter and Paul, who has beaten only old former boxers in Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez Jnr as well as MMA fighters and other novices.
Paul, 28, lost to Tommy Fury when they boxed in Saudi Arabia back in 2023. Yet after 35-year-old Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn insisted his man was really considering taking on the YouTuber, Paul’s man Nakisa Bidarian told Sky Sports talks are underway.
He said: “I think the fight can absolutely happen. I'm looking at it as Jake versus Joshua, which is quite biblical, and it's quite impactful in many ways.
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| Jake Paul has only really faced boxers passed their prime(Image: Getty Images) |
"I think size wise, we can get comfortable with it, and I think experience wise, Jake is learning very fast and growing, and Joshua is a little long in the tooth. So it could be a very interesting matchup, and we're actively discussing it with Matchroom.”
Joshua is currently rehabilitating after elbow surgery and not ready to return until December at the earliest. Hearn says he’s still intent on facing Tyson Fury and a Paul fight would be a warm-up.
Yet there seems little benefit other than financially of facing someone with 13 pro fights and no amateur experience before taking on Fury.
Saudi boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh said he would be interested in staging the fight and financially backing it as he is not a fan of the fights Paul has and wants to rid him from the sport. That’s why the Middle East is also on the table as a potential host.
Bidarian added: “I think we're looking at it happening at the start of 2026. It's public that AJ was taking a little time away, I think he had a little surgery. “So once he's ready, and once Jake is ready, we're going to squarely focus on that.
"It's a fight that Jake wants to do, and that's a discussion we've had at length, and he feels very confident about where he is in his career and his chances of upsetting Anthony Joshua.
“Wembley's definitely a possibility. Jake said he'd like to do it there. He likes the idea of going in and hearing 90,000 people booing him!"
- Chris McKenna
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