A showdown between Joshua and Paul could take place as early as next year – but a top heavyweight contender could ruing the YouTuber-turned-boxer’s plans
Tony Yoka is eager to derail Jake Paul’s plans to face Anthony Joshua by challenging the two-time heavyweight champion himself.
Yoka – who claimed Olympic gold in Rio – appeared destined for greatness following his professional debut in 2017, but the previously unbeaten heavyweight endured three consecutive losses to Martin Bakole, Carlos Takam and Ryad Merhy.
He has since clawed his way back into contention with victories over Amine Boucetta, Lamah Griggs and Arslan Yallyev. Following those three triumphs, the Frenchman secured a lucrative deal with Queensberry Promotions as he seeks to re-establish himself as a heavyweight threat.
After the announcement, speculation regarding a potential clash between Yoka and Joshua began to swirl, reports All Out Fighting. The French heavyweight was quick to respond to those rumours, telling BoxNation: “I mean, I heard some rumours about it. I believe in my team.
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“I believe in Queensberry, my manager and my coach to do the best fights for me. I’m not in any talks with him so I don’t know what’s going on. What I know is that I’m getting ready for anybody and after this big win, if they ask or propose me to fight Joshua, of course. That would be a great, great fight for me to take.”
Joshua has remained inactive since his crushing loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024 – but is eyeing a comeback before the end of the year. While Yoka reckons Joshua might have bigger fish to fry, the 33-year-old Frenchman would jump at the chance to square off against ‘AJ’ without hesitation.
“There is a history behind it as two Olympic gold medalists. I think that’s something that makes sense,” he continued. “I saw him fight some guys that I didn’t even know. I think it was just before Otto Wallin he fought a guy, I don’t know the guy [Joshua beat Jermaine Franklin and Robert Helenius]. I understand that he lost against Dubois last year. They might want to do something like Joshua-Fury or whatever. You want a fight before that, I’m here. You don’t have to look like too far from there.”
A potential clash between Joshua and Yoka could deal a massive setback to Paul. The YouTuber-turned-boxer and the British heavyweight have verbally committed to a bout. During a recent Sky Sports interview, Paul’s promoter and business partner – Nakisa Bidarian – disclosed that he’s in talks with Eddie Hearn and that the encounter could materialise much earlier than expected.
“I think the fight can absolutely happen,” he said. “I’m looking at it as Jake versus Joshua, which is quite biblical, and it’s quite impactful in many ways. I think size wise, we can get comfortable with it, and I think experience wise, Jake is learning very fast and growing, and Joshua is a little long in the tooth. So it could be a very interesting matchup, and we’re actively discussing it with Matchroom.
“I think we’re looking at it happening at the start of 2026. It’s public that AJ was taking a little time away, I think he had a little surgery. So once he’s ready, and once Jake is ready, we’re going to squarely focus on that. It’s a fight that Jake wants to do, and that’s a discussion we’ve had at length, and he feels very confident about where he is in his career and his chances of upsetting Anthony Joshua.”
When is Jake Paul’s next fight?
After making a successful comeback to the ring in June, Paul is keen to keep the momentum going. The American is now able to compete for a world title, having been ranked in the WBC’s cruiserweight listings after his victory over Chavez Jr.
The manager of the 28-year-old fighter revealed that his client is keen to compete for a world title ‘as soon as possible’. However, he concedes it’s unlikely to be his next match, considering the current landscape at 200lbs. “Absolutely [he will fight again this year]. November or December,” Bidarian informed Ariel Helwani when queried about Paul’s forthcoming plans.
“I’m meeting him tonight for dinner, and we’ll discuss [his next opponent]. The only certainty right now is that Jake is eager to compete for a belt at the earliest opportunity. I need to have a chat with him, I reckon it’s a tall order this year [to box for a world title]. Badou Jack is the one he’s most interested in taking on, but he’s obligated to a rematch with the bloke he just defeated [Noel Mikaelian] for the WBC. I’m not sure if a title bout is feasible this year, but we’ll see.”