Anthony Joshua will enter his December showdown with Jake Paul carrying a significant disadvantage, according to promoter Eddie Hearn, who admits the heavyweight’s required weight cut is “not easy” to manage.
Joshua, a former unified world champion, agreed to a bout widely seen as the most lucrative and straightforward offer in boxing when he accepted a 19 December contest against the American YouTuber-turned-fighter.
While Team Joshua raised no objection to allowing Paul second billing on promotional material or making several concessions to secure the event, one key stipulation is proving a genuine challenge.
The clash will be professionally sanctioned at heavyweight over eight three-minute rounds, using 10oz gloves, but Joshua must come in no heavier than 245lb at the weigh-in.
That represents a notable shift for the Briton, who has weighed over 250lb in each of his last five outings and is currently walking around at approximately 260lb.
For the first time in his career, he will have to shed more than a stone simply to make weight.
Speaking in Riyadh, Hearn told The Sun that Joshua’s physical adjustment should not be underestimated.
Anthony Joshua's last five fights | PA
Anthony Joshua will enter his December showdown with Jake Paul carrying a significant disadvantage, according to promoter Eddie Hearn, who admits the heavyweight’s required weight cut is “not easy” to manage
|GETTY
“That’s not easy for AJ because people say, ‘Oh he’s boxed at 242 before.’ That was quite a long time ago,” he said.
“So we are having to deal with the science of that, which again, it’s not going to be brutal, but it’s something you’ve got to keep your eye on.
"But that’s fine. We surely need some kind of disadvantage going into this fight.”
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Paul, who has fought most of his professional career around the 200lb cruiserweight limit, enters with the lighter frame and substantially less pedigree.
He has only one defeat on his record, against Tommy Fury in 2023, and his only previous heavyweight appearance came in a controversial contest against a 58-year-old Mike Tyson last November.
The fight was widely criticised, and organisers were forced to deny accusations of fixing, with Paul even hiring high-profile lawyer Alex Spiro to counter further claims.
With conspiracies likely to surface again, Hearn was unequivocal in dismissing suggestions of any restrictions on Joshua’s ability to compete properly.
Confirming that full drug testing will take place in the build-up to the bout, he said: “I’ve heard people say, ‘I bet there’s something in the contract where you have to take it easy on him.’ I mean, don’t be so ridiculous.
“Can you imagine? Also, by the way, that’s illegal. It’s a professional contest. You can’t have an agreement about how a fight’s gonna go, that’s called fixing.”
Anthony Joshua hasn't fought since losing to Daniel Dubois back in September 2024
| GETTYJoshua has not fought since being stopped by Daniel Dubois last year but produced one of the most brutal finishes of his career earlier in 2024, knocking out former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in two rounds.
Hearn warned that Paul should not expect any form of patience or gradual approach.
“AJ will make the decision what he does. Will he go in there and just sort of just have a look for a minute or so?” he said.
“But probably he was supposed to have a look against Francis Ngannou and he dropped him in the first round and then knocked him spark out in the second round. And he was a man mountain.
"So I don’t think AJ’s capable of having a look. He’s going to go out there and as soon as Jake Paul gets hit on the chin, clean, the fight’s over.
"And Jake Paul may have a good chin. I do actually think he’s quite tough. But it doesn’t matter."