Promoter Eddie Hearn has explained why Anthony Joshua chose to fight Jake Paul next month on December 19, claiming it was a financial slam dunk. He let fans know it was coming “real heavyweight fight” eight rounds, not an exhibition. The two will headline the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida on Netflix.
Why Jake Paul replaced the tuning
Hearn claims former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua (28-4, 25 KO) was going to run away anyway, but Jake Paul replaced them for money they “couldn’t refuse.”
One gets the impression that this is a pre-emptive move on his part, intended to soften the harsh reaction of fans. Hearn doesn’t need to explain why AJ is taking this fight. The money dwarfs what Joshua could get for fighting anyone else.
Ruiz-level payout revealed
Hearn has already mentioned that he will earn similar money for this fight as he earned in his rematch with Andy Ruiz on December 7, 2019. He made $80 million or more from that fight. It makes sense why Joshua should fight Jake.
“A lot of people are very excited that Anthony Joshua has almost driven Jake Paul out of the boxing world,” promoter Eddie Hearn told Boxing in the match roomtalking about the December 19 fight between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul.
What happens if AJ falls asleep?
Hearn needs to consider the potential of Jake Paul knocking out Joshua because that is something that could happen. Joshua has never had so much impact resistance in his career. Now, after twelve years as a professional, he is delicate. Jake hits harder than challenging enough to do what Ruiz and Dubois did.
This isn’t a situation where Joshua can just come in and win. Unlike Francis Ngannou, Jake Paul can fight and has the potential to knock out Joshua. The knockout AJ suffered last year against Dubois will not do him any favors in terms of easing Paul’s punishment.
“You have to admire Jake Paul’s heart. He has faced criticism about the standard of his opponent,” Hearn said. “Now he’s entering a whole up-to-date stratosphere. They made us an offer that was huge financially. We were planning a potentially miniature eight-round fight this year. Now he’s taking on Jake Paul in an eight-round fight for more money than we could have imagined.”
Jake Paul is an opponent Joshua has no choice but to take seriously. He has power and does exactly what Daniel Dubois did in AJ’s last fight on September 21, 2024, knocking him out if he can land it correctly. At some point it will land. The only question is whether 36-year-old Joshua’s chin will hold up?
“So, as you heard from Turki Alalshikh, the sedate stuff starts in 2026. But at the same time, it was an offer you couldn’t refuse. It’s a huge event. As AJ said in his press release: “No mercy.” This is not an exhibition. This is truly a heavyweight fight,” Hearn said.
If Jake knocks out Joshua, it will be intriguing to see what direction Hearn goes. After a few excuses about what happened, will he push AJ in a different direction or will he push for a rematch? It will be fun to listen to Hearn try to explain his defeat.