Turki Alalshikh is interested in matching Anthony Joshua against Jake Paul in a fight that will measure their talent level. He sees it potentially as a way to rid himself of the “headache” of Jake Paul, if the popular former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua reduces him to dust with a brutal knockout. If AJ loses, he’ll know he’s “finished.”

“Tomato Can” Rebuild Fails

I don’t know why Turki needs Jake Paul to show him that Joshua, 35, is shot. He’s been showing signs since 2021, losing twice to Oleksandr Usyk and getting destroyed by Daniel Dubois.

The only reason AJ is still around is that his promoter, Eddie Hearn, did an expensive four-fight rebuild job on him, feeding him tomato cans, in hopes of restoring him to his vintage 2013 form. It failed miserably. Once Hearn threw Joshua back in with a world-class opponent, he was blown out in five rounds by Dubois. It was too easy for Daniel to annihilate the shell of Joshua.

“Me and [Jake Paul] are thinking about doing him against Anthony Joshua now. If Anthony destroys him, it will be good for me. The headache of Jake Paul is finished,” said Turki Alalshikh to Theboxingvoice about his plans on putting together a clash between YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul and the fading former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

Jake Paul Accepts Challenge

“If Jake wins, I will know that Joshua is finished and Jake deserves a ranking and a future in boxing. Jake accepted it. Next week, I will talk to Joshua about it,” said Turki.

On the positive side, Joshua vs. Paul will bring in bigger numbers and more money than any of AJ’s last five fights. It seems like Anthony is primarily concerned with lining his pockets to make as much money as possible in his final years in the pro game. Fighting Jake is a smart move.

If Joshua loses this fight, it will be humiliating beyond belief, and it will strengthen the belief that he was a hype job from day one as a pro. Fans believe Joshua has been selectively matched since he turned pro after winning a controversial gold medal in the 2012 Olympics.