Eddie Hearn ‘misled’ Jake Paul before he agreed to fight Anthony Joshua
Promoter Eddie Hearn has admitted that he intentionally misled Jake Paul’s camp during negotiations to secure better terms for Anthony Joshua ahead of their December 19 clash at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
Although Jake Paul boasts a 12-1 record, most of his wins have come against opponents with limited ability or fading careers. His lone defeat to Tommy Fury in 2023 exposed his shortcomings when matched with even a moderately experienced boxer. Since the fight announcement, the matchup has attracted heavy criticism, but Matchroom chief Hearn dismissed suggestions that this could be Joshua’s final outing. Speaking on the 5 Live Boxing Podcast, he insisted the event is merely a lucrative tune-up before the former heavyweight champion returns to top-level action next year.
“This isn’t ‘we’re fighting Jake Paul and retiring’. We have major plans for 2026,” Hearn said. “This is a run-out, a career-high payday, and then straight back into camp for real fights.”
How Hearn Misled Team Paul Before the Joshua–Paul Fight Was Finalised
Joshua, a former two-time unified heavyweight champion, will meet the YouTuber-turned-boxer in a sanctioned professional contest. One key clause, however, is designed to narrow the physical gap between the fighters: Joshua must weigh in below 245 pounds. Although he has been over 250 pounds in recent fights, he was under 245 for both bouts against Oleksandr Usyk — making the requirement far from challenging.
Hearn revealed that he intentionally inflated Joshua’s weight during negotiations to make the 245-pound limit appear like a meaningful compromise.
“I spoke to AJ and he was around 265 pounds. I think I told Nakisa he was 290 pounds,” Hearn admitted.
By overstating Joshua’s weight by roughly 25 pounds, Hearn made it seem as though they were agreeing to a major concession, despite Joshua already being capable of making the required limit comfortably.
The fight will be streamed globally on Netflix and is scheduled for eight three-minute rounds, shorter than the typical 12-round heavyweight format. Still, Hearn insisted on maintaining certain professional standards. “I said no balloon gloves or two-minute rounds. They said it’s a real fight. I asked whether it was 10 or eight rounds — they were happy with eight.”
According to Hearn, Paul’s team made one request clear: they wanted Joshua to lose weight.
“They said Jake will be around 220 or 225 pounds, and they want AJ lighter,” Hearn explained. “They said they didn’t want an advantage — just for AJ to have a disadvantage.”
That honesty reflects how aware Paul’s camp is of the vast skill gap between their fighter and a former unified world champion. While Paul’s record has been carefully built, even his own team recognises the scale of the challenge.
Hearn was blunt when assessing Paul’s boxing ability: “People bring up old interviews where I called Jake Paul average. I stand by that. He’s improved a lot.”
Whether that improvement will be enough to avoid a comprehensive defeat remains to be seen.
