After his scheduled exhibition fight against WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis fell apart, Jake Paul reportedly has turned his attention to a bigger opponent.
According to Mike Coppinger of Ring Magazine, Paul and former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua are finalizing a deal for a heavyweight fight on Netflix in December in Miami.
Paul was scheduled to face Davis this Saturday before it was announced earlier this month that the fight was canceled. Many criticized Paul for even picking Davis as an opponent, as he usually weighs around 200 pounds on fight night, while Davis is a champion at 135 pounds.
Rather than picking another smaller opponent, Paul went to the opposite end of the spectrum by setting his sights on Joshua, who typically weighs over 250 pounds. He told ESPN’s Andreas Hale that he feels facing the 36-year-old would silence his critics.
“People are telling me to fight someone my own size. OK, how about I fight somebody who is bigger than me?” Paul said earlier this month. “His size makes him a tougher challenge than [undisputed super middleweight champion Terence] Crawford. That’s the most dangerous fight for me right now.”
In response to the rumors, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, confirmed that there’s mutual interest in a big-money matchup against Paul.
“If we are going to have a run-out fight, why not run out against Jake Paul for a lot of money? There are ongoing conversations there,” Hearn told ESPN’s James Dielhenn.
Now, it appears the fight will come to fruition.
Joshua hasn’t fought in over a year, most recently suffering a fifth-round knockout loss against Daniel Dubois in September 2024. Prior to that, the Brit had won his last four fights, which included a knockout victory over former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Facing Joshua is a major step-up in competition for Paul, who’s coming off a unanimous decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June. Many will be interested in seeing if the 28-year-old bit off more than he can chew by facing a legit heavyweight, but he will certainly be motivated to prove the masses wrong.
