The End of the Road for Anthony Joshua? Jake Paul Thinks He Can Finish AJ

Eddie Hearn seems taken aback by Jack Paul believing that Anthony Joshua’s punch resistance has disappeared, and that he can duplicate the results of AJ’s last opponent, Daniel Dubois.

Is AJ’s Career at the End?

Hearn thinks it’s “bizarre” that the novice Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) believes he can knock out his creation, Joshua, whom he built from scratch with his matchmaking after he turned pro in 2013. AJ is Hearn’s baby, a fighter that he turned into a superstar, and who boosted Matchroom into one of the biggest promotional companies in the sport.

Hearn is having a hard time accepting that his fighter is at the end of the road. He can no longer take a hard punch without nosediving on the canvas. Moreover, Joshua hasn’t beaten a quality opponent in seven years since his victory over Joseph Parker in 2018.

Even that win was kind of shaky due to the referee Giuseppe Quartarone seemingly running interference for Joshua, not allowing Parker to get near him. It was the strangest fight I’ve seen. Parker couldn’t get near AJ without the referee stepping in.

If you take that one out, the last quality win for Joshua was against 40-year-old Wladimir Klitschko in 2017. Wlad was pretty old, without his trainer Emanuel Steward, who’d passed away, but he still dominated Joshua for long stretches of that fight.

For Jake, 28, thinking he can finish off Eddie’s Frankenstein, it’s got him boiling. Paul’s credentials are too shallow for him to be seen as a threat to Joshua, yet his punching power makes him a risky opponent. The YouTuber-turned-boxer, Jake, had enough pop in his punches to KO AJ.

Hearn Boils Over Paul’s Threat

“You’ve got Jake Paul fans thinking they can bizarrely beat Anthony Joshua. The most bizarre thing is Jake Paul genuinely believes he will beat Anthony Joshua. I think it’s the only reason we’re going to see this fight,” said Eddie Hearn to Sky Sports Boxing. “Jake Paul’s merry men are telling him that AJ’s punch resistance is gone. This is a great time to fight him.”

“I’m telling you, be careful what you wish for because this is the most dangerous thing and you’re wondering if he’s going to get out in time,” said Hearn about Jake. “This is one of the fiercest punchers of our generation. And by the way, if you go in thinking you’re going to win, that’s even more dangerous.”