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Jake Paul compared to magician escaping deep water as Eddie Hearn provides unique take on Anthony Joshua fight
Credit: Julio Aguilar/James Chance via Getty Images

Eddie Hearn has made a bizarre comparison as negotiations ramp up for Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua.

Jake Paul has gone from a Disney actor to a YouTuber, to a boxer, and despite being a laughing stock for many in the sport, has risen from beating influencers and basketball players to facing former world champions, albeit ones past their best.

Not too long ago, Paul put social media into a frenzy as he called out Anthony Joshua in what many saw as just a ploy for headlines and clicks.

Now, though, the fight seems closer than ever to actually being made, with Eddie Hearn detailing a recent visit from Paul’s team to London in a recent interview.


Photo by James Chance/Getty Images

Eddie Hearn believes AJ vs Jake Paul is like one big magic trick

When asked by The Stomping Ground about the Paul vs AJ fight, Hearn said,

“I really believe they want to do the fight, and if they really want to do the fight then I believe the fight will happen. […] Jake seems to truly believe that he can beat AJ and compete with him. It’s never a fight I anticipated, it’s never a fight I called for, but if it’s presented I can’t see us not taking it.”

“You will get probably the biggest moment, biggest fight, in boxing.”

Hearn continued, discussing the spectacle of such an event,

“Many will tune in to watch the potential demise of Jake Paul in boxing, other people will tune in for the violence and the danger. […] This is a little bit like tuning in to watch David Blaine, but it’s not some geezer trying to find his way out of a box full of water for three minutes, this is far more dangerous than that, and this is real.”

Joshua is coming off his most devastating loss to date at the hands of Daniel Dubois, and Hearn revealed AJ may not fight in 2025 if the Paul fight happens, as it would likely take place early 2026.

Despite his recent loss, Joshua is still the extraordinarily huge favorite going into this match-up, and will likely earn a fortune for an easy night’s work against Paul, whose best win comes against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., and who lost to an area-level cruiserweight in Tommy Fury.

Paul’s latest win earned him a top 15 ranking in the cruiserweight division, much to the dismay of fighters and fight fans.

Hearn hinted at how much Paul would be paid against AJ.

Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul – The stats

Though this fight may not happen, and if it does, there is no real argument to be made that Paul is capable of winning, it is worth comparing both fighters to see just how much of a chance the Disney star-turned-world-ranked-boxer has.

Anthony Joshua Jake Paul
Record 28-4 12-1
Combined record of last five opponents 100-9 131-16
Number of world champions / former world champions faced 6 2
Weight in last fight 252.25lbs 199.5lbs
Average age of last three opponents 32 43
Best win Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Mike Tyson
Amateur background 2012 Olympic Gold Medallist
~40-3 record
1-0 (against Deji, KSI‘s brother)
Height 6’6″ 6’1″
KO% 78% 54%
Reach 82″ 76″

This comparison only displays what is already common knowledge, that is to say, Paul stands very little chance in this fight, and it will actually be an extremely dangerous match-up for Paul, especially after fans witnessed what Joshua did to Francis Ngannou.

This article first appeared on Bloody Knockout and was syndicated with permission.

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