This coming Friday, those with a Netflix subscription will be able to watch Jake Paul fight in what could be the most significant boxing match of his career. He’s a heavy underdog to defeat Olympic gold medalist Anthony Joshua. At the same time, Joshua may already be looking ahead to a fight with a much more formidable opponent after handling Paul.
According to reporting from Sky Sports, after taking on Paul, Anthony Joshua may be agreeing to terms to fight “The Gypsy King” Tyson Fury at some point during the 2026 TV schedule. Nothing is apparently set in stone yet, but there might already be discussions to set up an even bigger fight in the new year.
Tyson Fury’s promoter, Frank Warren, spoke to Sky Sports about the upcoming fight between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul, and of course, his fighter came into the conversation. Warren mentioned there are talks happening in which Joshua would take on Fury, with an important caveat:
There’s been some talks going on. Nothing has been signed yet, but Tyson has indicated that if it’s the right deal, he’ll definitely do it, so I think it’s going in the right direction, and hopefully, we’ll get some news pretty soon as to what’s going to happen. He may have a warm-up fight, but if this fight happens, which I believe it will, it will be sometime in late summer. That’s another seven months away, so he’ll certainly have another fight in between, I think, if he comes back.
“The right deal” feels like the key here, because that leaves a lot of wiggle room for the promoter to backtrack after making this bold statement. Tyson Fury has made many moves in recent years, including teasing a WWE run after he first retired from boxing. That was in 2022, and he’s since returned to boxing and won his latest match back in 2024. Warren noted that Fury had retired from boxing again but had stayed in shape and would be ready for a bout in the new year.
Could Jake Paul Ruin This Deal?
Anthony Joshua vs. Tyson Fury is a possibility in 2026, though Jake Paul could spoil the opportunity for his opponent. Frank Warren was pretty blunt in his opinion that Paul didn’t stand a chance against Joshua. Yet, if he did somehow defeat the gold medalist in the ring, then Joshua wouldn’t be fit to take on Tyson Fury even if the latter was in his sixties.
As a viewer, I like hearing about this potential offer on the table ahead of the fight. To start, it gives me more confidence that Anthony Joshua has real stakes on the line and presumably has no reason to “take it easy” on Jake Paul. If he loses, it sounds like he won’t be fighting Tyson Fury in 2026 and, in fairness, why should he?
For Jake Paul, the stakes were already high. He’s wanted a title shot for some time now, and it seems the only way he’ll reach that goal is by putting himself up against trained boxers who are well above him in skill. I’m not sure he’ll be extended the same invitation to take on Tyson Fury if he were to defeat Joshua somehow, unless it were in a WWE ring with his brother Logan. Jake isn’t interested in that, so a fan has to wonder if he’ll keep at the grind and wait for those at the top of the boxing world to acknowledge him.
Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul is set to happen on Netflix on Friday, December 19th. Be sure to tune in live for the big showdown and to see if Paul can do what so many in the industry say he can’t.
