Rumors of a fight between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul continue to heat up, and one fighter cannot stand it.
What started as a ploy for social media clicks and relevance has become a genuine possibility, as Eddie Hearn recently admitted that Anthony Joshua will not turn down the Jake Paul fight if Paul genuinely wants to go through with it.
Hearn claimed AJ vs Paul is bigger than AJ vs Tyson Fury, and even suggested the amount Paul could earn against Joshua if the fight does happen.
With AJ sitting out 2025 following his brutal loss to Daniel Dubois late last year, he will likely take a huge payday for an easy night’s work against Paul, despite the fight being extremely dangerous and one-sided.
Though it will be a big-earner for both men, there is one fighter who is vehemently against the match-up, and accused the iconic British boxer of ‘selling his soul’ by taking the fight.
Molly McCann issues scathing critique of Anthony Joshua as Jake Paul fight looms
Molly ‘Meatball’ McCann retired from the UFC and MMA in March after a round one submission loss to Alexia Thainara.
Since then, she has signed with Matchroom in a bid to get her boxing career underway. McCann had a background in amateur boxing and is confident she’ll be able to make her mark on women’s boxing as she nears her debut on the Lewis Crocker vs Paddy Donovan rematch next month.
McCann recently spoke on her upcoming fight, as well as the state of boxing at the moment, and was asked by Pro Boxing Fans what she thought of the Joshua vs Paul fight.
The Meatball did not mince her words: “I’m not here for it. He’s selling his soul for money, do you know what I mean? It’s like what, lad, have you not got enough? […] Turn it in lad.”
McCann instantly disagreed that Paul could pose a bigger threat than Francis Ngannou, and concluded, “Why don’t we just leave this stuff alone?”
Paul has called out everyone from Canelo to Gervonta Davis, and it seems, following his win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., that he may now be in store for the biggest fight of his career.
Anthony Joshua had a series of rumored opponents before the Jake Paul fight
Paul called out Joshua months ago on social media, and what seemed like a joke then has quickly become a reality, but it was never a fight anyone planned or expected.
As a result, Joshua had multiple opponents in his sights for his return, and none of them were Jake Paul.
Dillian Whyte opted to face Moses Itauma instead of a rematch with Joshua, and Jared Anderson was another name Hearn and his team were considering for the Brit.
Deontay Wilder was a rumored opponent for a while, though it seems that fight is past its sell-by date after his unimpressive comeback against Tyrrell Herndon.
Olympic Gold medallist Tony Yoka was rumored to be in talks to face AJ too, but recently dispelled those rumors in an interview.
Due to an injury pushing Joshua’s return to late this year, no opponent was set in stone, though it seems now there is a clear frontrunner, and it is one nobody expected.