ANAHEIM, Calif. – After going the distance to defeat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Jake Paul made some major callouts.
Canelo Alvarez, Gervonta Davis, Tommy Fury, champion Badu Jack, Anthony Joshua and champion Gilberto Ramirez all were names uttered by Paul. But of those possible opponents, there’s one big fish that Paul and his manager, Nakisa Bidarian, are looking to catch – and that’s Joshua.
“I think that’s the main one that we talk a lot about is, if it’s not for the title, it’s looking at Tommy if he’s reasonable and then Anthony Joshua,” Bidarian told reporters, including MMA Junkie, on Saturday after Paul’s unanimous decision win at Honda Center. “And he’s adamant that he wants to make that fight happen at the end of 2026.”
Paul vs. Joshua. Or, put another way, Paul vs. one of the top heavyweights of this generation: Can you believe that? While it’d be a stretch to say the fight is “in the works” in the traditional sense of that term, there are definitely wheels in motion.
Paul hopes to make that fight come to fruition so he can finally silence his haters, of which they were out in full force to watch his win over Chavez Jr.
“That’s the criticism: ‘Fight someone in their prime who’s a beast.’ I think people just want to see me lose,” Paul said. “That’s really what the message is behind it all. Anthony Joshua is an insane fight, but I want that challenge. We’ve been DM’ing back and forth, he wants to make it happen, he called me up, and it’s looking very likely for next year.”
Bidarian said he and Paul plan to meet with Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, who promotes Joshua, about a possible fight toward the end of next year.
Paul’s only fight to take place at heavyweight was against 58-year-old Mike Tyson last November. Suffice to say, fighting Joshua, 35, would be a challenge like Paul’s never faced before, which is all the more reason why he wants it so badly.
“I’m definitely not a heavyweight, but I’m still gonna take the challenge,” Paul said. “But you look at Deontay Wilder, he was beating these guys weighing 215 pounds. Anything is possible. Granted, he’s like 6-6 or something, but anything is possible. And so I like the challenge.”
