YouTube sensation Jake Paul has publicly challenged two-time world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, claiming he has what it takes to defeat the boxing superstar.
During an episode of his YouTube show “BS with Jake Paul,” the 28-year-old made the audacious declaration: “I know I will beat Anthony Joshua’s ass. He doesn’t have a chin and he has no skill and he’s stiff.”
Despite the harsh critique, Paul attempted to soften the blow by adding, “I love you, Anthony, we’re friends and all this s*** but I want to fight you.”
The provocative comments quickly reached Joshua, who responded by placing a direct phone call to Paul. Both fighters subsequently shared images of their conversation on social media with the caption “2026,” suggesting a potential matchup could be in the works for next year.
Paul, who most recently outpointed 58-year-old Mike Tyson in November, has seen potential bouts with Canelo Alvarez and Gervonta Davis fall through. Alvarez opted to sign a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season, while Davis is expected to pursue a rematch following his draw with Lamont Roach.
Joshua, 35, has been inactive since his loss to Daniel Dubois last September. The British heavyweight had been anticipated to face Tyson Fury this year, but those plans dissolved after Fury announced his retirement following his December loss to Oleksandr Usyk.
This isn’t the first time a Paul-Joshua contest has been floated. Last November, Paul’s promoter Nakisa Bidarian revealed to Sky Sports that his client was interested in such a matchup down the line.
“Jake’s feedback to me was I want to do that fight,” Bidarian said. “Not now. But I want to do that fight.”
Bidarian emphasized that for Paul, these high-profile challenges aren’t financially motivated. “It isn’t about the money. He’s made lots of money from the time he was 18 years old. It’s really about disruption. It’s really about doing things that make you say: ‘Wow, that really happened.'”
While the size difference between the two would be significant—Paul weighed in at 227 pounds for his last contest but reportedly walks around at 215—Bidarian suggested his fighter would be willing to make accommodations “for the right environment, the right framework.”
Whether this potential 2026 showdown materializes remains to be seen, but Paul’s challenge has certainly captured the attention of the boxing world and Joshua himself.
