Eddie Hearn reminded fans today that Anthony Joshua has to make weight for his fight against Jake Paul on December 19th. Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) can’t weigh more than 245 pounds as part of the contract for his eight-round fight against Paul at the Kaseya Center, Miami, Florida.
It’s been three years since Joshua weighed 245 or less in a fight when he was beaten by Oleksandr Usyk by a 12-round split decision on August 20, 2022. Since that fight, AJ has weighed in the 250s in his last five contests.
“He’s not mucking around here. He’s not going to me, ‘Do you believe this guy? What a joker,” said Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn to The Stomping Ground about Anthony Joshua’s attitude going into his fight against Jake Paul.
Joshua, 36, can’t afford to overlook Paul, as he’s coming off a bad knockout to Daniel Dubois in 2024, has been out of the ring for 15 months, and he’s hoping to face Tyson Fury in the ‘Battle of Britain’ in 2026. It would also look bad for Joshua to lose to a novice like Jake.
“He’s preparing himself for a real fight. And I like that because every fight carries danger. This carries much less danger in my opinion than most of his recent heavyweight fights,” said Joshua. “I think if you go in there with the mentality of, ‘I’m just going to walk through him,’ you don’t train properly.
“He’s got to make weight as well this time around. He’ll want to look good and do a job on him. A lot of people are talking about how the weight of boxing is on his shoulders. So, he’s taking this very seriously, and that’s a problem for Mr. Paul. A lot of people are talking about him having a chance. I don’t think he’s got a chance,” said Hearn.
The last comment from Hearn came after being told that Roy Jones Jr. says Jake Paul has a chance of beating Joshua. That remark seemed to bother Hearn, who has repeatedly told the media that Paul has no shot at winning.
