Ex-World Champ Makes Bold Prediction for Possible Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua Fight

Ex-World Champ Makes Bold Prediction for Possible Jake Paul-Anthony Joshua Fight originally appeared on Athlon Sports.

YouTube personality-turned-pro boxer Jake Paul has been strategic about picking his matches, often facing past-their-prime stars and/or athletes from other disciplines, as when he squared off against MMA fighters Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz, plus ex-UFC fighter Mike Perry.

The 28-year-old is currently 12-1 in his matchups.

Paul recently vanquished Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at cruiserweight by unanimous decision. Now, he's agreed to fight two-time unified world heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua, per George Glinski of Talk Sport. Joshua has been sidelined since having an elbow surgery in May.

In a fresh interview with NewBettingSites.uk, ex-cruiserweight world champion Johnny Nelson predicted that Paul won't actually square off against Joshua for a good long while.

“Jake Paul will have to wait until Anthony Joshua is about 45 years old to be able to fight him," Nelson said. "As soon as Paul mentioned AJ’s name, I don’t think he was serious. However, it definitely got people talking."

That would send the fight eight or nine years in the future, as Joshua turns 37 in October.

“Paul doesn’t want the AJ fight, but once you start mentioning someone like Joshua in the same sentence as your own, it elevates your profile alongside his, even if it shouldn’t be up there. Paul knows what he’s doing and he’s showing other fighters how to do business in boxing,” Nelson added.

Nelson praised Paul as an expert self-marketer, but observed that his relatively late arrival in the sport has put him at a decided disadvantage against the more developed competition.

“It is because he hasn’t been in the game since a child, he hasn’t been in the gym his whole life and worked his way through the ranks," Nelson said. "He built his popularity online first which has got him into a great position. The money he’s earned has helped him buy fights against old fighters with big names, who have a large fanbase."

Nelson also took pains to applaud Paul's upside as a competitor.

“That said, I do think Jake Paul can actually fight," Nelson said. "He’s a good domestic fighter, but he’s got world championship money. With that, people like Mike Tyson will get in the ring with him because they know they’ll get paid handsomely. He’s capitalised on the business side of boxing and you can’t really knock him for that."

Related: Jake Paul Takes Massive Risk, Agrees to Fight Heavyweight Star

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 18, 2025, where it first appeared.