Eddie Hearn was angered by Jake Paul’s manager, Nakis Bidarkian, when he said that Anthony Joshua would ‘an easier fight than Gervonta Davis’ because Davis was faster than him.
Hearn says Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) will show Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) some real speed in their fight next month on December 19th on Netflix at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. Hearn is upset that Jake and his manager Bidarian believe they can win.
Why Jake thinks AJ is vulnerable
They have plenty of reasons to believe they will emerge victorious. The 36-year-old Joshua had not fought in 14 months and on September 21, 2024 he lost in the fifth round to Daniel Dubois. When Andy Ruiz knocked out AJ in June 2019, he was on a nearly one-year layoff. History repeats itself.
“You can’t force AJ to say something outrageous. He’s going to say, ‘Listen, I respect you. You’re going to be punished. No mercy,’ as he says,” promoter Eddie Hearn said Seconds Out on Anthony Joshua’s fight against Jake Paul on December 19th.
A question of inactivity
Jake doesn’t seem like he’s trying to “rush” Joshua into anything. He is simply confident in his abilities and strength and sees flaws in AJ’s game that he can exploit. Joshua has the following against him:
- Inactivity
- After being eliminated from the loss
- Age
- Overconfident
“It’s not about the shorter rounds. It’s a real fight. He’s saying all the things people are telling him to make him believe he has a chance,” Hearn said of Paul. “‘What about the Andy Ruiz fight? He’s out for 14 months. Maybe his chin isn’t the same. You’re younger, you’re fresher.’
Jake can see firsthand the vulnerability Joshua will bring to this fight, and that’s reason enough to believe he’ll win.
Hearn predicts AJ’s “scary” speed
“Even Nakisa (Bidarian) said, ‘It’s an easier fight than Gervonta because Gervonta had speed.’ Dude, wait until you see AJ’s speed,” Hearn said. “It’s going to be scary.
“He’s a decent heavyweight. That’s what he’s become. It’s not like he’s just getting off the couch and hasn’t been in the ring. He’s been through camps. He’s had real fights, but he’s on a level below AJ,” Hearn said.
Last updated on 11/24/2025
