Jake Paul is absolutely the "front-runner" to fight Anthony Joshua next, says promoter Eddie Hearn.
Joshua, who has not fought since losing to Daniel Dubois in September last year, underwent elbow surgery in May but is targeting a return to the ring later in 2025.
Since then, YouTuber-turned-professional boxer Paul has beaten veterans Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr at heavyweight and cruiserweight respectively.
Hearn told Sky Sports News: "This bizarre world that we live in, I think Jake Paul is absolutely the front-runner to fight Anthony Joshua next.
"I'm here in New York for a meeting about that fight. There's open dialogue between myself and Nakisa [Bidarian, Paul's manager] and MVP [Most Valuable Promotions].
"I can't sit here and tell you this is a 50/50 match-up. The whole thing is bizarre. I think it's extremely dangerous for Jake Paul.
"The boxing world are saying, 'please AJ, go in and evaporate this young man from the boxing world so we can all get on as normal'.
"You got Jake Paul fans thinking, bizarrely, they can beat Anthony Joshua, and the most bizarre thing out of everything is that Jake Paul genuinely believes he will beat Anthony Joshua.
"I think it's the only reason we're going to see this fight because Jake Paul and his merry men are telling him that AJ's punch resistance is gone, 'this is a great time to fight him'.
"I'm telling you, be careful for what you wish for because this is the most dangerous thing. This is like tuning in to watch [magician] David Blaine. You know when he's in a box and you're wondering whether he's going to get out in time, I've told Nakisa, this ain't David Blaine. This is going in with one of the fiercest punchers of our generation and if you go in there thinking you're going to win, that's even more dangerous.
"I know commercially this fight breaks all kinds of records and I don't even know what's going on to know that we're sitting there negotiating this fight, but I truly believe you're going to see it at the beginning of 2026.
"For AJ, he says to me, 'you want me to go and knock Jake Paul out? No problem'. That's where we sit."
After defeating Chavez by unanimous decision last month, Paul audaciously called for a showdown with Joshua and has met with Turki Alalshikh to try and make it happen.
Paul propelled himself to fame on YouTube but has now won 12 fights after launching his boxing career in 2020.
The 28-year-old suffered defeat to Tommy Fury in 2023 but has gone on to beat former UFC star Nate Diaz, professional American boxers Andre August and Ryan Bourland, plus former UFC fighter Mike Perry.
A controversially-sanctioned bout against Tyson is Paul's only heavyweight fight so far, before he stepped down to cruiserweight against Chavez.
Nelson: I don't think the fight will happen!
Analysis from Sky Sports' Johnny Nelson...
"I think Jake Paul is a brilliant promoter. He's brilliant at getting the attention of the public.
"I don't see this fight happening but what I do see is people are now talking about Jake Paul in the same sentence as Anthony Joshua. If by some miracle this fight does happen, that tells me Anthony Joshua has decided to cash out, because it will be a handsome and unbelievable payday for what should be a walk in the park for him.
"But then it's a case of, well, what are you in this game for? You want to make money, that's right, you want to be the best, be world champion again, I get it.
"So he's thinking, 'shall I have a little bit of a play and get some big money - I don't know, a couple of hundred million - to fight Jake Paul, and then step into the big, real world of boxing?'
"Or should he make this his bow out? If this fight, by some miracle, did happen, to me, it would be Anthony Joshua saying goodbye to our sport and walking out with a massive pay check.
"I don't think the fight will happen - that's just my opinion."
