Promoter Eddie Hearn says Tommy Fury’s remarks are “ridiculous” about Anthony Joshua being “Paid off” if his potential fight against the YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul goes beyond two minutes of the first round.
Hearn Responds to Fury’s Accusations
“What a ridiculous thing to say,” said Eddie Hearn to The Stomping Ground, reacting to Tommy Fury begging Anthony Joshua not to take a dive against Jake Paul. “If we take this fight, it’s a real fight. We’re not going in there as an exhibition or a YouTube match.”
Tommy Fury said in an interview this week that if Joshua hasn’t knocked out Paul within two minutes of the first round, he would “take that as AJ has been paid off.” He added that Joshua could knock out Jake even with a broken arm.
Paul has looked dangerous lately, knocking out three out of his last five fights. He had the legend Mike Tyson hurt in their clash on November 15, 2024. Jake appeared to back off on the throttle after stunning the 58-year-old Tyson.
Jake Paul’s Recent Performances
– Julio Cesar Chavez Jr: Unanimous decision 10
– Mike Tyson: Unanimous decision 8
– Mike Perry: TKO 6
– Ryan Bourland: TKO 1
– Andre August: KO 1
– Nate Diaz: UD 10
– Tyron Woodley II: KO 6
“AJ is going to prepare like he’s a world champion, and he’s going to go in and he’s going to demolish him, and we’re going to move on,” said Hearn about Paul. “The only thing that can stop this fight from happening right now is Jake Paul deciding all of a sudden not doing it or not fancing it. That’s the only thing. Otherwise, this fight is happening.”
Joshua’s last performance against Daniel Dubois has many fans questioning whether he can take a hard shot without going down. Dubois floored AJ late in round one in their fight last September at Wembley Stadium. At the end of the round, Joshua visibly staggered as he walked back to his corner. The former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua was dropped in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th rounds in a one-sided contest.
Final Word on Negotiations
“So, I’ve got a call due with Nikisa tomorrow. We’ll have a chat, but every conversation we’ve had so far, we know what we’re doing. We know how it’s all working. We’ve just got to pull the trigger, and that trigger gets pulled when Jake Paul goes, ‘I’m in,’ because we’re not turning it down. No,” said Hearn.
Jake has repeatedly said he wants the Joshua fight next. It’ll still come down to the negotiations. They have to make sense of the fight to happen. So, unless he changes his mind during the talks, the fight will happen.
Last Updated on 08/20/2025
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