YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul is eyeing the biggest fight of his career, a potential clash with former two-time heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua in 2026, according to reports from the UK Sun.
The 28-year-old American, fresh off his recent heavyweight bout with Mike Tyson, stunned fans earlier this year by calling out Joshua, 35, for a future showdown.
The two have reportedly struck a verbal agreement to fight in what would be one of the most high-profile crossovers in boxing history.
“For sure, we would love to,” Paul said when asked about facing Joshua.
“We’re going to do it all, and I’d love to come back to the UK, maybe for Anthony Joshua, maybe Madison Square Garden, who knows?”
Anthony Joshua has been out of the ring since his knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024 and is currently recovering from elbow surgery. The former Olympic gold medallist is targeting a 2025 return, with hopes of regaining world title contention.
Despite the setback, Joshua is said to be open to the idea of facing Paul, recognising the commercial appeal of the fight. However, his promoter Eddie Hearn remains sceptical.
“Jake might be mad enough to do it,” Hearn told talkSPORT. “Because all Jake thinks about is the money. The money he’d get for fighting AJ is obscene.”
Paul, who has one loss on his record to Tommy Fury, insists he is on a mission to become a world champion, but has not ruled out big-money fights along the way.
“I’m on a path to a world championship,” Paul said. “If Tommy [Fury] gets realistic, we can make that happen. But there are 15 big names waiting to fight me, and the goal is still the belt.”
Paul revealed that his rivalry with Joshua has continued privately, with trash talk exchanged via DMs, including jabs at AJ’s loss to Dubois.
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