The British Boxing Board of Control may stand in the way of the highly anticipated heavyweight showdown between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul, potentially halting one of boxing’s most intriguing matchups.
According to Sky Sports, there is no certainty that the Board would sanction the fight as a professional bout.
Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, explained, “Organisers would have to apply to the British Boxing Board of Control to consider. The fight would likely take place in the US.”
The Board’s reluctance largely stems from concerns over Paul’s limited professional experience combined with the drastic jump to heavyweight, facing a former unified champion, a situation that raises serious safety issues around approving such a mismatched fight.
Despite the regulatory doubts, Paul has emerged as the leading contender to face Joshua next, according to Hearn.
The YouTube sensation turned boxer has gained momentum following recent wins against veterans Mike Tyson and Julio César Chávez Jr.
Paul’s victory over Chávez Jr on June 27 stands out as a defining moment in his career, defeating a former world champion decisively.
This success earned him the No. 14 spot in the WBA cruiserweight rankings, boosting his legitimacy among top contenders and sparking discussions about moving up to heavyweight.
Hearn shared with Sky Sports News, “This bizarre world that we live in, I think Jake Paul is absolutely the front-runner to fight Anthony Joshua next. I’m here in New York for a meeting about that fight. There’s open dialogue between myself and Nakisa (Bidarian, Paul’s manager) and Most Valuable Promotions.”
The Matchroom chief acknowledged the fight would be heavily one-sided and warned about the risks for Paul.
“I can’t sit here and tell you this is a 50/50 match-up. The whole thing is bizarre. I think it’s extremely dangerous for Jake Paul,” Hearn admitted.
“The boxing world are saying, ‘please, AJ, go in and evaporate this young man from the boxing world so we can all get on as normal’. You got Jake Paul fans thinking, bizarrely, they can beat Anthony Joshua, and the most bizarre thing out of everything is that Jake Paul genuinely believes he will beat Anthony Joshua.”
Joshua, sidelined since his September defeat to Daniel Dubois, had elbow surgery in May and aims to return to the ring later in 2025. His promoter reported Joshua’s confident stance on the potential bout.
“For AJ, he says to me, ‘You want me to go and knock Jake Paul out? No problem.’ That’s where we sit,” Hearn concluded.
Since launching his professional boxing career in 2020, Paul has amassed 12 wins, with a sole loss to Tommy Fury in 2023.
The 28-year-old has since defeated notable opponents including former UFC star Nate Diaz and professional boxers Andre August and Ryan Bourland.
Following his unanimous decision win over Chávez, Paul boldly called for a fight with Joshua and has engaged with Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh to try to bring the bout to life.