- Jake Paul, 28, stepped up to heavyweight to beat Mike Tyson in his last fight
- The American has now called for a huge fight against Britain’s Anthony Joshua
- Joshua responded to Paul’s tease of the bout that would take place next year
Having defeated a former heavyweight champion in his most recent fight, Jake Paul has considerably upped the ante by calling out Anthony Joshua.
However, few would argue that the Youtuber-turned-boxer’s scalp of a 58-year-old Mike Tyson would be much preparation for the Brit, not even a year removed from a heavyweight title bout.
Joshua is yet to take the ring since his devastating loss to Daniel Dubois at Wembley and Paul, whose bout with Tyson – however underwhelming – attracted a global audience in excess of 60 million, has sought to tease the 35-year-old out of his hiatus.
On Thursday, the American, who has won 11 of his 12 professional bouts, went on his podcast to insist that he could beat Joshua and claimed the 6ft 6in giant ‘doesn’t have a chin and has no skill’.
Later, he took to social media to show an image of himself supposedly receiving a call from the two-time heavyweight champion. He accompanied the post with the caption: ‘Look who called. 2026 [Anthony Joshua].’
Joshua, meanwhile, appeared to issue a response to Paul’s call-out, posting a screenshot of a call with the American on his Instagram alongside the caption: ‘2026’.
Jake Paul has again teased a fight with two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua
The 28-year-old has won 11 of his 12 professional bouts including against Mike Tyson in November
Joshua’s last win in the ring came against Francis Ngannou in March last year. He suffered a devastating loss to Daniel Dubois at Wembley in September
The 35-year-old appeared to issue a response to Paul’s call-out, posting a screenshot of a call with the American
Earlier, Paul had said on his BS w/ Jake Paul podcast: ‘I know my boundaries. I want to fight Anthony Joshua because I know that I will f****** beat Anthony Joshua’s a**e.
‘He doesn’t have a chin, and he has no skill and he’s stiff. And I love you, Anthony. We’re friends, all this s***, but I want to fight you.’
The American was mocked on social media after his bold claim, with former boxer and current trainer Dave Coldwell saying: ‘AJ would snap his neck with a jab.’
DAZN broadcaster Ade Oladpio added: ’10 seconds is all it would take [for AJ to win].’
While Joshua lost his most recent fight, a match-up against Paul would surely end poorly for the relative novice, who suffered defeat at the hands of Tommy Fury in 2023.
Joshua boasts a five-inch height and 25-pound weight advantage over Paul.
Paul’s latest ploy comes after he was snubbed by Mexican great Canelo Alvarez, who chose to fight Terence Crawford after it appeared the pair had agreed to a big-money clash.