Anthony Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn\u2019s hopes for a mega-million-dollar fight against the hugely popular social media icon Jake Paul have fallen apart over \u201cnetwork issues.\u201d Jake will instead fight Gervonta Davis on Friday, November 14th, at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, Georgia.<\/p>\n
Matchroom promoter Hearn has yet to give his thoughts on the breakdown in talks between Joshua and Jake Paul. It\u2019s a fight that Hearn was eager to make, viewing it as the \u201cbiggest fight in boxing\u201d and one that would bring in a lot of money to AJ.<\/p>\n
The Power of Jake Paul\u2019s Influence<\/p>\n
The 28-year-old Jake Paul is in a position where he has negotiating muscle to get favorable terms against even the biggest stars in the sport, like Joshua.<\/p>\n
Jake Paul\u2019s Social Media Following<\/p>\n
YouTube: 20.9 million subscribers
\nInstagram: 28.7 million followers
\nX (Twitter): 4.6 million followers
\nTikTok: 18.5 million followers<\/p>\n
Boxing expert Mike Coppinger revealed on his X<\/a> account today that the Joshua vs. Paul talks have broken down due to a network problem. That hasn\u2019t been confirmed by Jake Paul\u2019s promoter, Nikisa Bidarian. He says the fight with Joshua will still happen, but in 2026, not 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s just a matter of hitting \u2018go.\u2019 Jake is looking at it like he wants to show the world that he\u2019s going to fight David, and then he plans to take on Goliath,\u201d said Bidarian to ESPN<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re still figuring that out,\u201d said Bidarian about the fight with Tank Davis being an exhibition. Jake will definitely have to come down below his 200-pound weight that he\u2019s been fighting at.<\/p>\n \u201cI can tell you that we\u2019re going to have a fight that will have a definitive outcome, whether by way of knockout or decision,\u201d said Bidarian about the Paul vs. Davis fight.<\/p>\n Joshua\u2019s Options After Paul<\/p>\n Unless something changes, Joshua\u2019s options for his next fight are less appealing. 2016 Olympic gold medalist Tony Yoka. That one has been mentioned as potentially being staged in Ghana. It wouldn\u2019t create nearly as much interest as a fight between Joshua and Jake Paul, as Yoka (14-3, 11 KOs) doesn\u2019t have a large following on social media.<\/p>\n Going from a big-money fight against Jake Paul to a much smaller one against the 6\u20197\u2033 Yoka has to be disappointing for Hearn and Joshua. On the positive side, it\u2019s winnable for Joshua, and he has a good chance of scoring a highlight reel knockout. Financially, it\u2019s not in the same class as a bout against Jake Paul. The payday AJ would have received would have been enormous.<\/p>\n