Without a Script, Anthony Joshua Will Swiftly Knock Paul Out - Hearn Asserts

I've got no real defense for Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul. It's crazy the fact it's taking place and I feel the naysayers are right.

But, we simply could not turn it down. No boxer who is sensible would have said no. Anybody claiming they would are completely lying outright.

We accepted a fight that we believe will be quite simple, will give AJ a massive presence in the United States and one of the highest earnings.

The Strategy Behind the Fight

AJ was going to have a tune-up bout this November in Saudi - an eight-rounder versus a guy who was ranked around 100th in the heavyweight division.

It was a chance to get his hands wrapped with his fresh training team, do the ringwalk and go through the motions. Currently, we are doing that exact tune-up however for about fifty times the money.

We have a clear game plan planned - to knock Jake Paul out asap. After that, we go into regular business resuming in 2026.

Joshua will box against a top-tier opponent in February and - should things go to plan - he will then face Tyson Fury.

So there's a method behind this craziness and accepting this fight will not harm Joshua's legacy. However a loss against Paul or it even going the distance would.

That would be a complete disaster and awfully humiliating.

Paul vs Joshua Is Not Pre-Arranged

A great many people have asked me asking whether it's fixed. Firstly, we'd be investigated by authorities if it was. That would be illegal. This constitutes a professional fight and a sanctioned bout where people are betting.

And do you think I would ever permit AJ to have a script involving Jake Paul? A script in which we might lose or even make him look bad? Absolutely not.

We are certainly not providing this opponent an edge or a chance to claim "told you I am superior to AJ" or "I took rounds from him". That would be catastrophic for AJ and we will not take that risk.

Public Pressure for a Quick Finish

Then there are those saying if AJ doesn't knock him out in the first round then it is an embarrassment.

He's expected to dominate this opponent however, blimey, allow him two to three stanzas just in case. Since Jake's approach will reflect on the pace of destruction.

If he gets brave, it will end rapidly. However if he is boxing on the back foot and trying to clinch and stick and move, then he may survive a few rounds.

We're not going to see AJ run across the ring in the first few seconds and start windmilling.

Similar to his approach against Francis Ngannou, he will step in there, size him up and then unleash with the heavy artillery.

Paul Can Whack a Little Bit

I have heard figures like Roy Jones and Teddy Atlas stating you cannot dismiss Jake Paul out in this fight. Am I losing the plot ? Is there something they see that I am missing?

Let us be one thing clear - Jake is a pro fighter. I think he is a respectable cruiserweight - ranked in the top 70 globally.

This is not a guy that has not put on boxing gloves before. He can whack a little bit. He's sparring Okolie and top-ten heavyweights.

Forgetting the victory against Tyson, who was then an old man, Jake did beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr - who may have been a done fighter but was not a complete mug.

Chavez Jr trained for the fight and had been a titleholder who went the distance with Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and came close to stopping Sergio Martinez late in the fight.

So I actually credit Jake for training hard and showing respect for the sport , and he has accomplished a great deal for women's boxing with his promotion company.

But in spite of his self-belief, passion, dedication and improved skills, he ought to be being knocked out by Anthony Joshua.

Once AJ Lands, It Is Finished

Jake and his team are hoping for many things. Hoping AJ underestimates him, banking on AJ is past his best, hoping AJ's inactivity will be a factor, banking on AJ is low in confidence, hoping AJ's chin isn't what it once was.

But, unfortunately for them, AJ is super switched on. He has completed a camp and he is preparing as if he's fighting Usyk or in a potential Dubois rematch.

I anticipate my fighter to win within two rounds with a brutal knockout.

A shot to Jake to the midsection and he would break his ribs and he would be unable to rise.

If he hits him clean, he will knock him spark out. Or could jump in.

We don't know how it could play out but given how AJ punches - with the speed and destruction - the instant a punch lands clean, the fight is over.

Subsequently the focus returns to AJ's primary objectives he wants to achieve in the remainder he has left in boxing - to fight Tyson Fury and to become a three-time heavyweight champion of the world.