On Friday night, Anthony Joshua will battle Jake Paul in one of the most bizarre crossover fights in recent memory. AJ is a former heavyweight boxing champion, while Paul has never fought anyone at this level before. As you can imagine, many are quite concerned about Jake’s health considering what the Brit did in a similar match with Francis Ngannou.
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Many have criticized Joshua and his promoter Eddie Hearn for taking the fight in the first place. Of course, the financial rewards that come with it will be astronomical, setting AJ up for life – as if he wasn’t already.
In a recent column on BBC Sport, Hearn had this to say about Paul versus Joshua.
Hearn’s take on Paul versus Joshua
“I have no real defense of Anthony Joshua versus Jake Paul. It’s crazy that this is happening and I think the critics are right.
“But we just couldn’t turn it down. No boxer in their right mind would have said no. Anyone who says they would is completely lying through their teeth.”
“We have entered into a fight that we believe will be very simple, will give AJ a huge profile in America and one of his career high payouts.
“AJ was supposed to have a run-out fight in Saudi Arabia in November – an eight-rounder against a guy ranked 100th in the heavyweight division.
“It was a chance to join forces with his new training team, do the ring walk and go through the motions. Now we’re doing the same run, but for 50 times more money.”
“We have a clear strategy in mind: take Jake out as quickly as possible. Then we will return to normal service and resume in 2026.”
Quotes via BBC
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