Anthony Joshua losing to Jake Paul would be the end for boxing, says promoter Eddie Hearn

The boxing world would come to a shuddering, and in Eddie Hearn’s view, terminal halt if Jake Paul were to beat Anthony Joshua.

Paul, once a YouTuber and now a fighter, is boxing Joshua on December 19 in Miami.

Joshua of course is an Olympic gold medallist, a two-time heavyweight world champion, and by far the bigger man of the pair.

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His skill level and experience vastly overshadows Paul's, who has had 13 professional fights and operates around the cruiserweight limit.

Losing to Paul would be a disaster for Joshua, and become a stain on his legacy. But his promoter Hearn cannot see that happening.

"He is a top 50, in the world, cruiserweight," Hearn said of Paul. "He is a legitimate cruiserweight now. I just don't think he's world class and I don't think there's any non-world class cruiserweight that can step up to heavyweight and beat Anthony Joshua.

"Maybe I'm wrong. If I'm wrong, I think my time's up. Not just AJ and me retire, I think we should all retire. So AJ the weight of boxing is on your shoulders, my man!"

Hearn naturally expects Joshua to dispose of Paul quickly. "I really believe this is going to be a straightforward obliteration," the promoter told Sky Sports. "This is a real fight. This is a sanctioned contest.

"It is completely illegal to have any kind of agreement of how the fight would play out.

"Fair play to Jake Paul. He's signed up for a real fight," he continued. "Within less than a minute of that fight he is going to think to himself: 'What on earth have I done here?' And more importantly: 'What am I going to do?'

"There is absolutely no escape for Jake Paul in this fight… You will find out very quickly what this game is all about. And it will not be pleasant for you."

It's not clear yet what for AJ would constitute success. Will he want to get Paul out inside the first two rounds, the first round, the first minute?

"AJ, he's got no interest in hanging around. He's not capable of doing that," Hearn noted. "He can't do it because the minute he smells weakness, the minute he smells blood, he's letting his hands go.

"And the minute he lets his hands go in this fight, there's a major problem for Jake Paul.

"Will [AJ] have a look for a minute? Maybe. But if Jake Paul shows any sign of aggression, the fights' over. And if he doesn't he's going to get walked down and beaten up.

"I would say two rounds is fair for Anthony Joshua. I would be disappointed if AJ didn't get him out of there in two rounds."

(c) Sky Sports 2025: Anthony Joshua losing to Jake Paul would be the end for boxing, says promoter Eddie Hearn