Could Jake Paul upset Anthony Joshua? Experts weigh in

AI-assisted summary
• A potential boxing match between Jake Paul and former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is reportedly being finalized.
• Promoter Eddie Hearn called Paul a ‘madman’ for taking the fight, highlighting the vast difference in experience between the two.
• Despite Joshua’s experience, some boxing experts, like Buddy McGirt, believe Paul has a chance to win.
• Other trainers suggest Paul strategically chooses opponents who are past their prime, potentially making Joshua vulnerable.

A ‘madman’ is what Eddie Hearn has called Jake Paul with a deal for Paul to face former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua reportedly being finalized.

Hearn is Joshua’s promoter and probably speaks for a lot of people assessing a potential matchup between the 6-foot-6 Joshua, who has fought in 13 title fights, and the 6-1 Paul, who has fought in 13 pro fights, total.

Joshua is 28-4 with 25 knockouts. Paul is 12-1 with seven knockouts.

“For all the criticism I’ve given to Jake Paul, he’s become a professional fighter,’’ Hearn told the BBC. “He’s nowhere near the level of Anthony Joshua. But if he takes this challenge, like I said, he’s a madman.”

Buddy McGirt, the former world champion boxer who has gone on to train champions, expressed doubts about whether a boxing commission would sanction the fight. The issue: Joshua, 36, has infinitely more experience against better competition than does Paul, 28.

But, if a boxing commission does sanction the fight as a pro bout, McGirt is among those saying he thinks Paul has a chance to win the fight.

Former champ: Jake Paul has ‘a 50-50 shot’ vs. Anthony Joshua

McGirt won the IBF junior welterweight title in 1988 and held the WBC welterweight title from 1991 to 1993. As a trainer, he has worked with multiple world champions, including Arturo Gatti, Antonio Traver and Hasim Rahman.

McGirt expressed some doubt over whether Paul and Joshua would go all out during a fight, but he did entertain that possibility of it happening.

‘Jake can punch,’ McGirt said. “He can punch, but at the same time, he hasn’t been in there with anybody like Joshua. So I’m just going to say … give it a 50-50 shot (of Paul winning the fight). I learned this a long time ago, when you got two guys over 200 pounds, anything could happen.’’

McGirt also noted what Joshua did against another inexperienced boxer, Francis Ngannou. Joshua dropped the former UFC champion in the first round and in the second round knocked him out cold.

“When he hit him the first time, I grabbed my bag and just started walking to the car,’’ McGirt said. “Yeah, I knew it was over. … (Joshua) can punch.’’

Thornton-Peek: Paul will ‘put himself in a good position’

Gloria Thornton-Peek, a well-regarded trainer, worked with Claressa Shields before Shields went on to win a gold medal at the 2012 Olympics. She also was worked with male boxers such as Andre Ward, an Olympic gold medalist who finished his pro career 32-0.

Thornton-Peek said Joshua’s career is in decline.

‘(Paul) gets opponents that either have been out of the game for a while or are no longer close to their top state, the way they may have fought back in the day when they were more on the top of their game,’ she said. ‘And so to me, that’s not really fighting. I mean, he’s waiting to fight these people when they are definitely more vulnerable because they haven’t been in the game for a while and they’ve lost their edge …

‘He’s put himself in a good position, and that’s going to make it easier for him to come out as the winner. It’s not like he’s got to go out there and put it all on the line.’

Joshua’s experience present ‘a tough task to bear’

Adonis Frazier, a retired pro fighter, has accomplished more as a trainer. He has worked with the likes of David Morrell, who held the WBA super-middleweight title from 2021 to 2024 and the WBA light heavyweight title from 2024 to 2025.

‘The one thing about boxing is there’s always that puncher’s chance,’ Frazier said of Paul’s chances against Joshua. “That’s like basketball, (when) they’re blowing them out by 30, everybody gets up and leaves. With boxing, anything can happen at any time. That last-second punch. Now, how likely is it? That’s a different question, but I think Anthony Joshua, he’s a seasoned veteran. That’s going to be a tough task to bear.

‘But you also got to look at it from the business side. Joshua has a huge following in the UK. Jake has a huge following just with social media and all that kind of stuff. So you put both of those together, the business makes sense. And if he’s going to take the loss, he’s always, ‘Hey, man, well, I lost to the former heavyweight champion of the world.’ It really doesn’t hurt him because he’s a cruiserweight.’

‘Jake has nothing to lose’

Johnathon Banks held the IBO cruiserweight title from 2008 to 2009. As a trainer, he has worked with champions such as Gennady Golovkin, Wladimir Klitschko and Badou Jack.

‘Everyone has a chance, but (Paul) definitely has a bigger chance than most,’ Banks said by text message. ‘I believe Jake has nothing to lose and EVERYTHING to gain.

‘No matter where a man is … if he has nothing to lose he’s dangerous.’