Jun 28, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Jake Paul leaves the ring following his victory against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

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Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua Fight Rumors Explode; But Eddie Hearn Issues Reality Check!

Jun 28, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Jake Paul leaves the ring following his victory against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Jake Paul has made a bizarre career out of boxing. The YouTuber turned fighter has faced former MMA champions and aging boxers. His opponents have ranged from Ben Askren to Anderson Silva to Mike Tyson. Critics constantly question his legitimacy as a real boxer. But Paul keeps finding ways to generate massive interest and paychecks.

His recent exhibition against Gervonta Davis got cancelled unexpectedly though. ‘Tank’ pulled out for reasons that remain somewhat unclear. This left Paul (12-1) scrambling to find another opponent for his Netflix deal. His team reportedly reached out to several big names in boxing. Most people figured he would land someone safe and marketable. Then Ring Magazine’s Mike Coppinger dropped an absolute bombshell on social media.

Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua In The Works?

Coppinger posted on November 12th that Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight rumors were becoming reality. According to his sources, both sides were finalizing a deal. The boxing match would happen in December in Miami on Netflix. Paul would be stepping up massively to face a former heavyweight champion. Coppinger even gave Paul major props for taking such a dangerous fight.

“Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul are finalizing a deal for a heavyweight fight on Netflix in December in Miami, sources tell ringmagazine. Paul steps up massively to fight the former heavyweight champion after his exhibition with Gervonta Davis was cancelled. Major props to Paul.”

Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul are finalizing a deal for a heavyweight fight on Netflix in December in Miami, sources tell @ringmagazine. Paul steps up massively to fight the former heavyweight champion after his exhibition with Gervonta Davis was cancelled. Major props to Paul. pic.twitter.com/lr8OdmapUN
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) November 12, 2025

The boxing world collectively lost its mind at this news. Anthony Joshua is an Olympic gold medalist and two-time heavyweight champion. The British fighter stands six foot six and walks around well over two hundred pounds. He’s knocked out some of the best heavyweights on the planet, including Francis Ngannou recently.

Eddie Hearn Pumps The Brakes

Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn wasn’t having any of this premature celebration. Joshua fights under Hearn’s Matchroom banner, so he would know the real story. Ariel Helwani reached out to Hearn for clarification on the report. The British promoter’s response was pretty definitive and brought everyone back to earth. Hearn confirmed that both sides have indeed spoken about a potential fight. However, he made it clear they’re nowhere close to finalizing anything. This is what Helwani said:

“In the midst of all this [Paul vs. Joshua fight reporting], I did reach out to Eddie Hearn. And he said, ‘We have spoken, but nothing close. And I doubt he would be so crazy.’ He, being Jake.I then asked him, ‘Would you say this report is premature?’ [Hearn] said, ‘Absolutely’.

Ariel Helwani reached out to Eddie Hearn about the rumored Paul/Joshua bout.#HelwaniShow pic.twitter.com/P1Tg0ppGnE
— Jed I. Goodman © (@jedigoodman) November 12, 2025

That last comment is pretty telling coming from Hearn. He’s been around boxing long enough to know when something makes sense. A YouTuber fighting Anthony Joshua on short notice doesn’t make much sense at all.

Hearn’s reality check suggests negotiations might be happening but nothing concrete exists yet. Both teams probably leaked the story to gauge public interest and apply pressure. Now they are stuck either making the fight happen or dealing with disappointed fans. Classic boxing politics at work!

(Image Credit: Gary A. Vasquez – Imagn Images)

Anthony Joshua

Eddie Hearn

Jake Paul

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!