Jake Paul’s decision to face Gervonta Davis in an exhibition could cost him a huge shot at achieving boxing legitimacy.
Paul is 13 fights deep into his pro career in the ring, which has continued to split opinion in the combat sports community.
The YouTuber-turned-pugilist has frequently come under fire for his choice of opposition, from his past habit of targeting past-their-prime MMA veterans to Paul’s fight against 59-year-old Mike Tyson in November 2024.
But after Paul defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June and subsequently called out Anthony Joshua, many wondered whether he would finally be testing himself against some of the sport’s best who are closer to his age and size.
For the time being, that hope has dwindled with the announcement of an exhibition bout against a boxing star who has yet to compete above 140 pounds.
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Eddie Hearn says Anthony Joshua fight will be off the table for Jake Paul if he gets ‘chinned’
Paul will face Davis in an exhibition contest this November at Kaseya Center. The bout was recently moved to Miami after Georgia’s athletic commission refused to sanction it.
The fight has done little to squash criticism of Paul’s boxing career, and it may also be set to do damage to his fight plans moving forward.
Ahead of his next outing, Paul and his team have seemingly been trying to put together the Joshua fight for early 2026. But the Englishman’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has no interest in negotiating a fight until he sees ‘The Problem Child’ get through the ‘Tank’ match with his chin intact.
“They’ve (Paul’s team) come on to me and said, ‘We want to make that fight (with Joshua),'” Hearn told Sky Sports. “I said, ‘I can’t make that fight until you’ve fought Gervonta Davis in this exhibition.’
“If you get chinned by Gervonta Davis, don’t think you’re fighting Anthony Joshua. It’s ridiculous.
“So we’d rather they didn’t take that fight if we’re going to make the fight (with Joshua),” Hearn added.
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Jake Paul is not giving up hope of becoming a boxing world champion
Despite choosing to pursue an exhibition match that won’t advance his title ambitions in the sport of boxing next time out, Paul continues to reiterate his plan to become a world champion.
Many have laughed off that ambition, but after Paul broke into the official WBA rankings following his victory over Chavez Jr., it no longer appears to be the kind of far-off prospect most assumed.
“I just finished writing my Jake Paul 2030 five-year plan, signed and delivered,” Paul said in a recent video on X.
“Become world champion, become a billionaire, have three kids and get married to Jutta.
“Beat (Oleksandr) Usyk, win an Oscar, fight on the moon, and start a presidential campaign,” Paul added.