Promoter Eddie Hearn has explained Anthony Joshua’s reason for choosing to fight Jake Paul next month, on December 19, saying it was a slam dunk financially. He let fans know it was going to be a “real heavyweight fight” of eight rounds, not an exhibition. The two are starring at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, on Netflix.
Why Jake Paul replaced the Tune-Up
Hearn says former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) was going to take a run anyway, but Jake Paul replaced them for money they “couldn’t refuse”.
This appears to be a preemptive move on his part to deal with fan backlash. Hearn doesn’t need to explain why AJ is taking this fight. The money dwarfs what Joshua can get fighting anyone else.
Ruiz-level payday revealed
Hearn has already mentioned that the fight will bring in similar money to what he got in his rematch with Andy Ruiz on December 7, 2019. He earned $80 million or more from that fight. It makes perfect sense why Joshua has to fight Jake.
“There are a lot of people who are very excited about the thought that Anthony Joshua has almost evaporated Jake Paul from the boxing world,” said promoter Eddie Hearn. Matchroom Boxingtalks about the December 19th fight between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul.
What happens when AJ falls asleep?
Hearn needs to consider the potential of Jake Paul knocking Joshua out because it is something that could happen. Joshua has never had much punch resistance in his career. Now, after twelve years in the pros, he is frail. Jake hits more than hard enough to do what Ruiz and Dubois both did.
This is not a situation where Joshua can just show up and win. Unlike Francis Ngannou, Jake Paul can fight, and he has the potential to KO Joshua. That knockout that AJ suffered against Dubois last year will not have done him any good in terms of taking punishment against Paul.
“You have to admire the heart of Jake Paul. He’s had criticism about the level of his opposition,” Hearn said. “Now he’s stepping into a whole new stratosphere. For us, they made an offer that was huge financially. We were possibly planning a little eight-round run out this year. Now, the eight-round run will be against Jake Paul for more money than we could ever dream of.
Jake Paul is an opponent Joshua has no choice but to take seriously. He has power, and he does exactly what Daniel Dubois did in AJ’s last fight on September 21, 2024 by knocking him out if he connects cleanly. He will land at some point. The only question is, will the 36-year-old Joshua’s chin hold?
“So, the serious stuff, as you heard from Turki Alalshikh, starts in 2026. But at the same time, it was an offer we couldn’t refuse. It’s a massive event. As AJ said in his press release, ‘No mercy.’ This is no exhibition. This is a real heavyweight fight,” Hearn said.
If Jake knocks Joshua out, it will be interesting to see which direction Hearn takes. Does he move AJ in a different direction after making some apologies for what happened, or is he pushing for a rematch? It’s going to be fun to listen to Hearn try to explain away the loss.
👀 @EddieHearn talk #JakeJoshua on the latest episode of Flash Knockdown ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/oGDNbfJadP
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) November 20, 2025
Last updated on 20/11/2025
