YouTube star-turned-boxer Jake Paul has expressed his desire to face former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in the ring.
Fresh from his stunning victory over boxing icon Mike Tyson, Paul’s aspirations signal a bold move into the heavyweight division.
Paul’s promotional partner, Nakisa Bidarian, revealed the ambitious plan during an interview with Sky Sports.
“Jake’s feedback to me was, ‘I want to do that fight. Not now. But I want to do that.’ To be a world champion at cruiserweight, he wants to do that,” Bidarian said.
While Paul’s career has already disrupted traditional boxing norms, a bout with Joshua or other heavyweight contenders like Daniel Dubois would test new boundaries. Bidarian noted that the motivation behind these fights isn’t financial, as Paul has been a millionaire since age 18, but rather to “test the limits of what’s possible” and deliver moments that captivate the world.
“Jake weighed in at 227lbs for the Tyson fight but walks around at 215lbs,” Bidarian added.
“For the right environment and framework, he’s willing to go beyond expectations. It’s about doing things that make people say, ‘Wow, that really happened.’”
Paul’s intentions come amid speculation about Joshua’s future in boxing. Former unified light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan recently advised Joshua to focus on a highly anticipated bout with Tyson Fury before retiring.
“Joshua should wait for the big fight against Tyson Fury,” Khan told *New Zealand Daily*. “AJ has done phenomenal in boxing… but why not finish on a big high by taking the Fury fight and then call it a day?”
Joshua, who has earned over $200m in his career, is currently recovering from injuries sustained during his knockout loss to IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois in September. Promoter Eddie Hearn has confirmed that Joshua is unlikely to return to the ring before May 2024.
Meanwhile, Fury is preparing for a rematch with unified champion Oleksandr Usyk after losing his WBC heavyweight title in a split decision earlier this year. Should Fury fail to reclaim the title, there is speculation that a Joshua-Fury bout could be staged under Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season banner, promising significant financial backing.
