Anthony Joshua is recognized as one of the most accomplished heavyweights of this generation.
Aside from an Olympic gold medal in the amateurs, Joshua has defied expectations after stepping into boxing at the age of 18 and becoming a unified and two-time heavyweight (200+ lbs) world champion. With further peaks reached when it comes to career earnings, Joshua is recognized as a impactful boxer despite the recent downslide of his career.
However, these well-earned accomplishments are ready to deteriorate entirely after a potential fight between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul came to light.
As revealed by The Ring’s Mike Coppinger, mysterious “sources” have revealed the two fighters’ teams are finalizing a deal for a fight on Netflix in December. With Paul having been set to fight Gervonta Davis this week on November 14 before the bout’s recent cancellation, a suitable opponent seemed unable to be found on time ― with potential opponent Francis Ngganou even labeling the offer to fight Jake Paul as an insult.
For obvious reasons, Joshua fighting an extremely low-ranked fighter such as Paul ― who has refused to become a genuine competitor since making his pro debut in 2020 ― would be an even farther stretch than his 2024 bout against Ngannou given the Cameroonian MMA fighter had nearly toppled Tyson Fury during their 10-round non-title bout in 2023.
With Jake Paul further counting a loss on his record against Fury’s younger brother, Tommy Fury ― who was then a parttime fighter, the potential Joshua-Paul bout is a clear mismatch only staged to draw in casual viewers for solely financial profit.
Given Joshua had been tipped to make his comeback before this year, the news of him fighting Paul comes as sheer disappointment for fans who had been hoping to see the fighter make a return against the likes of Tony Yoka or Arslanbek Makhmudov ― as Joshua himself promised ― rather than a cruiserweight (200 lbs) journeyman-level fighter in Jake Paul.
Joshua had already been rumored to be in talks to fight Paul earlier this year and the recent discussions appear to be a timely continuation of these talks with Paul searching for his next opponent before the end of this year.
In other news, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) will no longer be staging the November 14 event which included at least two world title fights; with Alycia Baumgardner and Gary Antuanne Russell having been set to defend their titles.
In light of the recent discussions between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul, it is likely MVP is looking to stage the same card in December with the two aforementioned fighters serving as the headliners.
