Eddie Hearn has responded to Simon Jordan after the broadcaster questioned whether Anthony Joshua still deserves to be called boxing’s “landlord,” pushing back on criticism tied to Joshua’s recent loss to Daniel Dubois and his win over Jake Paul.
Jordan had pointed to Joshua’s recent record, bringing up the knockout loss to Daniel Dubois and the win over Jake Paul, and argued that those results do not justify that kind of status. The question forced Hearn to explain what that label actually means in his view.
He did not base it on rankings or recent opposition. He went straight to name value.
“Tell me a bigger name in the sport right now than Anthony Joshua. Don’t see one. Therefore, you’re the landlord,” Hearn said to Pro Boxing Fans.
“He just knocked out Jake Paul, which I don’t think is the greatest achievement in anyone’s boxing career, but he did it in front of tens of millions of people around the world on Netflix and made tens and tens and tens and tens of millions of dollars,” said Hearn about Joshua.
It’s a classic Hearn masterclass in redirection. By leaning into marketability, he’s effectively changing the win-loss metric to a bottom-line metric.
From a promotional standpoint, it’s a brilliant move because it’s the one area where Joshua is genuinely untouchable. Whether or not AJ is the best heavyweight on the planet right now is a debate for the purists, but whether he is the biggest draw isn’t much of a debate at all.
“Pay homage to the landlord, and if you’re a good boy, we’ll rent you out a little property,” said Hearn.
By telling Simon Jordan to pay homage, he is dismissing any criticism of Joshua’s recent form as irrelevant. In Hearn’s world, you don’t critique the landlord. The phrase “if you’re a good boy” is intentionally patronizing.
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Last Updated on 2026/04/17 at 2:22 PM
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