Eddie Hearn doesn’t plan on standing in the way of Anthony Joshua ‘ending’ Jake Paul in a boxing match.
Paul is days removed from the latest victory in his polarizing career in the ring, which has followed his initial success as a YouTuber and Disney star.
In his 13th pro fight, Paul dominated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, a former WBC middleweight champion, in their DAZN main event at Anaheim’s Honda Center on June 28.
And in the immediate aftermath of another triumph, ‘The Problem Child’ made several bold and ambitious callouts.
Eddie Hearn reacts after Jake Paul called out Anthony Joshua
To the dismay of boxing traditionalists and longtime detractors of Paul’s arrival in the combat sports realm, ‘The Problem Child’ is now a viable contender for a world title shot.
Paul has been ranked by the WBA in the cruiserweight top 15. That means the Cleveland native could be in line for a previously unlikely title shot against Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez, who faced off with Paul at last Saturday’s event after he defended his titles against Yuniel Dorticos.
But Ramirez wasn’t the only prominent name in the YouTuber-turned-pugilist’s crosshairs after his victory over Chavez Jr. He also targeted a bigger test, literally.
Former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua was among those Paul called out. And while ‘AJ’ has yet to respond, his promoter, Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn, has.
“He’s calling out Anthony Joshua, who is a heavyweight monster,” Hearn said in an interview with talkSPORT. “I think Jake Paul is crazy enough to fight Anthony Joshua because the money would be absolutely obscene.
“It’s a catastrophic mismatch that people would tune in to watch, because it would be the end of Jake Paul. It’s that dangerous.”
And it’s exactly that — the end of Paul — that would actually make Hearn give the green light.
“Will AJ (fight Paul)? He’s his own man, but I will be saying, ‘Yeah, go on mate. Go and deal with this guy. Get him out of the game,'” Hearn said in a separate interview with Sky Sports.
Jake Paul reiterates his ‘ultimate destination’ in boxing
Though the seriousness of Paul’s callout of Joshua has unsurprisingly been widely dismissed, the 28-year-old has continued to insist that there’s nothing unserious about his world title hopes.
In a recent post on X, ‘The Problem Child’ reiterated that having a championship wrapped around his waist remains the ambitious main goal in the ring.
“I’ve worked hard to get here but there is nothing to celebrate. Long road ahead and I’m more committed to it every single day.
“I may veer off the path now and again, but being a world champion is my desired ultimate destination.”
With that in mind, Paul will likely have his attention on climbing the ranks and securing what would no doubt be a controversial shot at Ramirez’s cruiserweight belt.