Jake Paul Keeps Anthony Joshua Rumors Alive Despite Gervonta Davis Announcement

Paul's team has consistently claimed that they were pursuing the Joshua fight for the first half of 2026. Should he survive his bout with Davis relatively unharmed, he would still be able to maintain that timeline.

Joshua has not fought since September 2024, when he suffered a savage beatdown at the hands of Daniel Dubois. Although it has already been a year since that fight, he has not shown any inclination to return to the ring. The 35-year-old Joshua is now just 4-3 in his last seven fights and 6-4 since 2019.

Jake Paul to return against Gervonta Davis

Paul's matchup with Davis will be his second fight of the year. He is coming off a lackluster 10-round decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June that improved his record to 12-1.

Regardless of how Paul frames it, Davis is certainly no "David." While his career has taken an unusual turn recently, with retirement rumors seemingly taking a toll, Davis remains undefeated in his career, with a 30-0-1 record and six defenses of the WBA lightweight title.

Fighting Davis epitomizes the main criticism of Paul's career, in that he hand-picks smaller opponents against whom he significantly out-weighs. Paul last weighed in at 199.4 pounds against Chavez, while Davis has only competed above 135 pounds once.

However, despite the size difference, Davis is arguably the most powerful puncher Paul has ever faced. With 28 of his 30 wins coming by knockout, fans have long viewed Davis as the pound-for-pound most powerful puncher.

Many details about the fight remain unknown, including the weight at which the fight will commence and the number of rounds it will be. Paul has spent the majority of his career fighting for eight rounds, while Davis has exclusively competed in 12-round title fights for the last eight years.