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Matchroom chairman Eddie Hearn, who is the career-long promoter of Anthony Joshua, has commented on the mounting speculation that the former two-time heavyweight boxing champion will square-off with Jake Paul for a bout tentatively planned for December on Netflix. The American, a former influencer who has emerged as an improbable face for the sport, if not crossover boxing at least, was scheduled to take part in an exhibition alongside Gervonta Davis on the 14th of November. However, the event at the Kaseya Center in Miami was nixed at the eleventh hour due to Tank's apparent legal issues. With the cancellation so close to the event itself, Most Valuable Promotions chose to cancel the entire thing rather than bring in a late replacement. After getting rebuffed in their efforts to lure Francis Ngannou back to the ring, the focus now, it seems, is Joshua. And, speaking to Boxing News, Hearn has had his say on whether the fight will go down as planned. Joshua and Paul were linked with one another earlier in the year, but the 28-year-old chose to close a deal with Davis, despite eight inches in height and more than 75 pounds in weight between them. Now, AJ appears to be firmly back in the mix. Speaking to Boxing News, Hearn confirmed "we've spoken to Nakisa" Bidarian, who is Paul's business partner and co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions. "For us, it's a fight we'd be interested in. If AJ is going to come back for a tune-up, or a warm-up, why not do it against Jake Paul for a load of money?" Hearn continued: "Jake Paul would have to be mad to take this fight, but he is a little bid mad. I can't rule it out. I can't tell you, 'It's close', or, 'It's on the verge'." "But there have been discussions and we'll see what happens." Hearn's plan and Paul's desperation for a marquee December vision seemingly align with the way in which Matchroom wants to bring Joshua back. There were even rumors AJ could fight in a co-main spot, rather than a headline bout, against a lesser fighter just to get rounds in the bank as he's not competed for more than 13 months back. A fight against Paul would easily be winnable for Joshua, setting him up with a significant payday before he heads back to the negotiation table for the only bout that makes sense for him at this stage of his career — an all-British battle against fellow former champion Tyson Fury, despite the latter's claims that he's retired.
