Anthony Joshua is being lined up for a sensational fight with Jake Paul in 2026 after the YouTuber-turned-boxer’s team confirmed an agreement in principle has been reached.
Joshua, 35, has been out of the ring since September 2024 when he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley, a defeat that saw him undergo elbow surgery before announcing plans to return early next year.
His promoter, Eddie Hearn, has said a lucrative offer has been made for Joshua to fight in Ghana in February — potentially as a tune-up for a bigger clash later in the year.
Now, Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian has revealed that talks with Hearn have already taken place over a blockbuster fight with Paul, with a verbal agreement struck to stage it in 2026, most likely in the United States.
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“Anthony Joshua is 100 per cent still a target,” Bidarian said.
“He’s trying to fight in February, I think in Ghana. But pending this fight and everything coming together, absolutely — we have an agreement in principle.”
Paul, 28, first called out Joshua earlier this year, sparking surprise negotiations.
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Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul have reached an agreement in principle to fight in 2026
| GETTYHowever, he has chosen to face lightweight champion Gervonta Davis in an exhibition bout on November 14 in Miami before turning his attention back to heavyweight.
Hearn has welcomed the interest but warned that a fight with Joshua will only happen if Paul avoids a humiliating defeat against Davis.
“They’ve come on to me and said they want to make that fight,” Hearn told Sky Sports.
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Anthony Joshua was floored in the fifth round of his fight with Daniel Dubois last September
| PA“I said I can’t make that fight until you’ve fought Gervonta Davis.
“If you get chinned by Gervonta Davis, don’t think you’re fighting Anthony Joshua — it’s ridiculous.
“So we’d rather they didn’t take that fight if we’re going to make the AJ fight.”
Joshua’s potential showdown with Paul could form part of a huge 2026 campaign for the two-time heavyweight champion, who has also been linked with a long-awaited clash against Tyson Fury.
Fury, 37, retired earlier this year after consecutive defeats to Oleksandr Usyk but has hinted at a comeback and has been trading barbs with Joshua online.
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Anthony Joshua could fight Tyson Fury in 2026
|GETTY
Paul, meanwhile, briefly campaigned at heavyweight last year when he fought Mike Tyson in a Netflix-streamed bout watched by over 100 million people worldwide.
He weighed in at 16st 2lb (227lb) — still nearly two stone lighter than Joshua’s typical fighting weight — before returning to cruiserweight to defeat former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in June.
If confirmed, a Joshua-Paul clash would be one of the most high-profile crossover bouts in boxing history, pitting one of Britain’s most decorated heavyweights against a fighter who has built a global following by taking on increasingly ambitious challenges.
Paul may be controversial but his boxing career continues to go from strength to strength.