Eddie Hearn was annoyed by Jake Paul’s manager, Nakisa Bidarkian, who said Anthony Joshua was a ‘easier fight than Gervonta Davis’ because Davis was faster than him.
Hearn says Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) will show Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) real speed in their fight next month on December 19 on Netflix at the Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida. It bothers Hearn that Jake and his manager Bidarian believe they can win.
Why Jake thinks AJ is vulnerable
They have many reasons to believe that they will emerge victorious. Joshua, 36, hasn’t fought in 14 months and is coming off a fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois on September 21, 2024. When Andy Ruiz knocked out AJ in June 2019, he served almost a year layoff. History repeats itself.
“You can’t push AJ to say something outrageous. He’s going to say, ‘Listen, I respect you. You’re going to be punished. No mercy,’ like he says,” promoter Eddie Hearn said. Seconds out about Anthony Joshua’s fight against Jake Paul on December 19.
The inactivity question
It doesn’t look like Jake is trying to “rush” Joshua into anything. He’s just confident in his skills and strength, and he sees flaws in AJ’s game that he can exploit. Joshua has these things against him:
- Inactivity
- Coming off a knockout loss
- Age
- Full of confidence
“It’s not shorter rounds. It’s a real fight. He’s saying all the things people are telling him to make him believe he has a chance,” Hearn said of Paul. “‘What about the Andy Ruiz fight? He’s been out for 14 months. Maybe his chin isn’t the same. You’re younger, you’re fresher.’
Jake can see for himself the vulnerabilities Joshua will bring to this fight, and that’s reason enough for him to believe he’s going to win.
Hearn predicts “terrifying” AJ Speed
“Even Nakisa (Bidarian) said: ‘It’s an easier fight than Gervonta because Gervonta had the speed.’ Mate, wait till you see AJ’s speed,” says Hearn. “It’s going to be scary.
“He’s a decent cruiserweight. That’s what he’s become. It’s not like he just gets off the couch and hasn’t been in the ring. He’s done the camps. He’s had real fights, but he’s levels below AJ,” says Hearn.
Last updated on 24/11/2025
