Hearn Defends Joshua–Jake Paul As A Real Heavyweight Fight

Promoter Eddie Hearn explained Anthony Joshua’s rationale for choosing to fight Jake Paul next month, on December 19th, saying it was financially a slam dunk. He let fans know that it’s going to be a “real heavyweight fight” of eight rounds, not an exhibition. The two are headlining at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on Netflix.

Why Jake Paul Replaced the Tune-Up

Hearn says the former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) was going to take a run-out anyway, but Jake Paul replaced them for money they “couldn’t refuse.”

It comes across as a preemptive move on his part to deal with the backlash from fans. Hearn doesn’t need to explain why AJ is taking this fight. The money is dwarfing what Joshua could get fighting anyone else.

Ruiz-Level Payday Revealed

Hearn already mentioned that the fight will bring in similar money to what he got in his rematch with Andy Ruiz on December 7, 2019. He earned $80 million or more from that fight. It makes perfect sense why Joshua should be fighting Jake.

“There are a lot of people very excited about the thought of Anthony Joshua almost evaporating Jake Paul from the boxing world,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to Matchroom Boxing, talking about the December 19th fight between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul.

What Happens If AJ Gets Slept?

Hearn needs to consider the potential of Jake Paul knocking out Joshua, because it’s something that could happen. Joshua has never had great punch resistance throughout his career. Now, after twelve years in the pros, he’s fragile. Jake hits more than hard enough to do what Ruiz and Dubois both did.

This isn’t a situation where Joshua can just show up and get the win. Unlike Francis Ngannou, Jake Paul can fight, and he’s got the potential to KO Joshua. That knockout AJ suffered last year against Dubois won’t have done him any good in terms of absorbing punishment against Paul.

“You have to admire the heart of Jake Paul. He’s had criticism about the level of his opposition,” said Hearn. “Now, he steps up to a whole new stratosphere. For us, they made an offer that was financially huge. We were planning potentially a little eight-round run-out this year. Now, the eight-round run-out will be against Jake Paul for more money than we could have ever dreamed of.

Jake Paul is an opponent Joshua has no choice but to take seriously. He’s got power, and he does precisely what Daniel Dubois did in AJ’s last fight on September 21, 2024, by knocking him out if he connects clean. He will land at some point. The only question is, will the 36-year-old Joshua’s chin hold up?

“So, the serious stuff, as you heard from Turki Alalshikh, begins in 2026. But at the same time, this was an offer we couldn’t refuse. It’s a massive event. As AJ said in his press release, ‘No mercy.’ This ain’t no exhibition. This is a real heavyweight fight,” said Hearn.

If Jake knocks out Joshua, it’s going to be interesting to see what direction Hearn takes. Does he move AJ in a different direction after making some excuses for what happened, or does he push for a rematch? It’s going to be fun listening to Hearn try to explain away the defeat.

👀 @EddieHearn talks #JakeJoshua on the latest episode of Flash Knockdown ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/oGDNbfJadP

— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) November 20, 2025