Eddie Hearn has rejected Jake Paul’s assertion that he managed to wobble Anthony Joshua during their heavyweight clash on 19 December, insisting that the Briton was never in danger of losing the contest.
The Matchroom Boxing promoter responded with amusement after Paul made the claim on his brother Logan’s “Impaulsive” podcast.
Speaking to Ring Magazine, Hearn was unequivocal in his assessment of the Netflix special.
“You’ve got to understand, [Jake Paul] was so far out of his depth. It was a horrendous mismatch. It was always a horrendous mismatch so you can’t expect him to go in there and stand and trade for three minutes,” Hearn stated.
The eight-round bout at Miami’s Kaseya Center ended prematurely when Joshua stopped his opponent in the sixth round, having previously looked sluggish during the opening stages.
Paul sustained a fractured jaw during the contest and has since undergone a successful surgical procedure to repair the damage.
Despite the emphatic finish, both Hearn and Joshua have acknowledged Paul’s resilience in lasting as long as he did.
Eddie Hearn has rejected Jake Paul’s assertion that he managed to wobble Anthony Joshua during their heavyweight clash on 19 December, insisting that the Briton was never in danger of losing the contest
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Joshua himself has conceded he was not entirely satisfied with his own showing, attributing any shortcomings to ring rust that needed shaking off.
“His job was to survive and look how far he got. I didn’t expect him to go that many rounds,” Hearn admitted.
While dismissing the notion that Joshua was ever genuinely hurt, Hearn did concede that Paul connected with some meaningful punches during the contest.
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“He definitely didn’t wobble AJ. but he landed his biggest shots,” Hearn admitted.
“A couple of right hands from the gods but he’s just not big enough, he doesn’t punch hard enough. I’m sure he got his attention but he certainly wasn’t wobbled.”
The promoter’s assessment highlighted the fundamental physical disparity between the two fighters, with Paul simply lacking the necessary size and punching power to pose a serious threat to the former unified heavyweight champion.
Matchroom Boxing is preparing to collaborate with Saudi entertainment chief Turki Alalshikh on Joshua’s next outing, with a potential return date pencilled in for February or March.
Paul, meanwhile, faces a considerably longer spell on the sidelines as he recuperates from his jaw surgery.
The American, who fights under the nickname “El Gallo”, had indicated he intended to step away from the ring regardless of any injury, citing his demanding schedule.
Jake Paul lasted six rounds in his boxing bout with Anthony Joshua
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GETTYThe hiatus will afford him the opportunity to concentrate on his business interests, particularly his promotional duties with Most Valuable Promotions.
Meanwhile, Paul insisted that he won the opening two rounds of the clash – but simply ran out of gas.
“It’s not that hard to get your a*s beat. I won two rounds then he won two, then I got dropped,” he said.
“But I was doing good, my cardio, just the mental pressure of the big guy, and sparring the big people is different than the 10oz gloves so I was feeling his power a lot more.
“It was a great experience, I learnt a lot in there. I wish I had more than like three weeks to put on more muscle so I could really hit him. My biggest mistake was not doing altitude training.
“I see where I could have done better so I’m a little disappointed but I also know how good he is. I had him wobbled at one point, but he had his hands up better this fight.”
