Featured Image Credit: Photo: Getty Images
Topics: Anthony Joshua, Jake Paul, Boxing, Eddie Hearn, YouTube
Ben McAleer
Topics: Anthony Joshua, Jake Paul, Boxing, Eddie Hearn, YouTube
Anthony Joshua could earn himself a whopping £100m for fighting Jake Paul, according to boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.
In March, Paul called out AJ on his podcast ‘BS w/ Jake Paul’, stating: “I want to fight Anthony Joshua - exclusive - because I know I will f***ing beat Anthony Joshua's ass.
“He doesn't have a chin, and he has no skill and he's stiff. I love you Anthony, we'e friends, all this s*** but I want to fight you.”
And Joshua called Paul’s bluff by phoning the YouTube later that day, adding fuel to the fire as he posted on his Instagram a shot of his call with Paul and the caption “2026”.
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Hearn also revealed AJ is on board for a fight with Paul, stating: “I spoke to AJ shortly after and I mean, look, we don't own the world heavyweight championship anymore. We're not chasing undisputed.
“That's always been the dream and will remain the dream until the career ends, but at the same time, we haven't even got an opponent.
“So when Jake Paul comes out and you know you're gonna make £100million to fight Jake Paul, obviously like any man with a brain would go, 'Oh, OK, line it up.'”
On Friday, Hearn spoke up over the idea of the pair getting in the ring together, telling Sky Sports News: “I think Jake Paul is absolutely the frontrunner to fight Anthony Joshua next. I'm here in New York for meetings about the fight, there's an open dialogue between myself and MVP.
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“I don't know what to tell you other than it's mental. I can't sit here and tell you that this is a 50/50 match. The whole thing is bizarre, I think it's extremely dangerous for Jake Paul.
“The general feedback is that the boxing world is say 'Please AJ, go in there and evaporate this young man from the boxing world so we can all get on as normal'.”
With such a vast amount of money to be made on a fight between the pair, this would take Joshua closer to his ‘billionaire’ dream.
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In an interview with GQ in 2017, the former Olympian said: “When I first started, the aim was to become a multimillionaire. But now there are ordinary people, grandmas and granddads, who are worth millions just because of property prices.
“So the new school of thought is that I need to be a billionaire. Being a millionaire is good, but you have to set your sights higher.”
Latest estimates put Joshua’s net worth at £195m according to the Sunday Times Rich List published earlier this year, though Forbes has this figure at $83m (£61.7m).
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In addition, from endorsement deals alone in the world of boxing, Joshua was actually level with Paul.
Paul’s net worth, meanwhile, is estimated to be between $100m and $120m (£74.5m and £89.2m) however, Forbes suggest his net worth is closer to $50m (£37.2m).
Earlier this weekend, TV personality Piers Morgan moved to clarify his comments that Paul’s fights were staged after the boxer sought legal counsel following the Brit’s claims.