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Jake Paul's manager insists Anthony Joshua fight 'can absolutely happen'
Jake Paul’s manager and promotional partner, Nakisa Bidarian, has said that a fight with Anthony Joshua ‘can absolutely happen’.
Bidarian appeared on Sky Sports News and confirmed they are pursuing the fight with ‘AJ’. He said that he sees Paul as the 'A-side' for this fight and that, looking at Joshua’s record, two of his losses came against Oleksandr Usyk, who is an undersized heavyweight in the modern era and of vaguely similar dimensions to Paul.
Bidarian said: “I think the fight can absolutely happen. I’m looking at it as Jake vs Joshua, which is quite impactful in many ways.
“If you look at Anthony Joshua, I think he is 28-4, and two of his losses are against Oleksandr Usyk. Usyk weighed in at 220lbs for those fights”.
The Most Valuable Promotions co-founder was quick to add that he was not drawing comparisons in ability between Paul and the undisputed heavyweight champion, but at his walk-around weight and having already bulked up to face Mike Tyson last year, the match-up is a realistic proposition.
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Bidarian explained: “Jake is not Usyk – a lot more years of experience are needed to get to that level. But Jake walks around between 208-210 lbs, and he fought Mike Tyson at 228 lbs, so I think size-wise we can get comfortable with it."
Joshua is yet to return to the ring since his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois last year and a minor surgery on his elbow but could make his comeback before the end of the year.
Crossover boxing is no stranger to Joshua, who produced a devastating knockout of his own against former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in March 2024.
Paul continues to make waves in the boxing world, in the unlikely pursuit of a world title. He defeated former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in June, which earned him a spot in the top 15 of the WBA cruiserweight rankings.
Bidarian believes that Paul has gained enough experience to take on an ‘ageing’ Joshua and revealed they are in active conversations with Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom.
He said: “I think experience-wise, Jake is learning fast and growing, and Joshua is a little long in the tooth. It could be a very interesting match-up, and we are actively discussing it with Matchroom. “
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