Anthony Joshua given go ahead to fight Jake Paul after rivals' phone call

Eddie Hearn has hinted that a bout between Anthony Joshua and internet sensation could be on the cards.

Last month, Jake Paul, also known as 'The Problem Child', stunned fans by challenging the former heavyweight champion. On his show BS with Jake Paul, he boldly claimed: "I want to fight because I know I will f***ing beat Anthony Joshua's ass," adding, "He doesn't have a chin and he has no skill and he's stiff. I love you, Anthony, we're friends and all this s*** but I want to fight you. I will beat Canelo, I will beat a lot of f***ing people."

Following the American's audacious call-out, Joshua reportedly reached out to Paul, fuelling speculation about a potential face-off next year. Now, Hearn, who represents Joshua, appears to have given the thumbs up for his fighter to take on the 28-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer.

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Although Hearn, aged 45, had previously expressed doubts that a regulatory body would sanction such a match, he now suggests that if Paul is serious about stepping into the ring with Joshua, it could happen. Speaking to journalists, Hearn said: "We're not basing our career around a potential fight with Jake Paul," but conceded, "But if we were offered it? Why not? It would be such an easy night's work."

The Matchroom boss further cautioned: "There's a difference between fighting Gervonta Davis, even Canelo Alvarez, and then fighting AJ. The other two, you can get humiliated and beaten up a little bit. The other one, you can be fully decapitated. This ain't a game.", reports .

Following a recent buzz, YouTube sensation-turned-boxer Jake Paul dished on his phone chat with heavyweight boxer Anthony Joshua. "We're going to plan that for 2026. I talked to Anthony on the phone," he revealed while speaking at Katie Taylor's triple-header press conference against Amanda Serrano. "He called me up and said, 'I saw you call me out, let's run it. Let's make it happen.'".

Paul couldn't help but chuckle as he spoke about fighters often shying away from big fights. "It's hilarious, I've mentioned before, boxers don't really dig , they dodge signing the dotted line. But whatever, I'm just gonna keep grinding in the gym. We've got some news dropping next week, but my lips are sealed because we've had bouts with Canelo and Gervonta [Davis] fall through at the last second. So, no jinxing from me."

The internet has been abuzz since Paul threw down the gauntlet. There's a sense of déjà vu, as this isn't the first whisper of a face-off between him and Joshua. Last November, Paul's co-promoter Nakisa Bidarian hinted at such a possibility before the 28 year old's exhibition with .

"Jake's feedback to me was I want to do that fight," Bidarian spilled to . "Not now. But I want to do that fight. To be a world champion at cruiserweight, he wants to do that. The other is to test the limits of expectations. Test the limits of what's possible. This event with Mike Tyson, that tested the limits of what was possible for the world to see and him fighting Anthony Joshua or is kind of the same thing.

"Jake weighed in at 227lbs but really he walks around at 215. But he'll do it for the right environment, the right framework. 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.' That's what excites us."