Anthony Joshua needed just three words when first asked about Jake Paul

Anthony Joshua showed his class when he was first asked about YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul four years ago.

The pair met for the first time in Dubai three years ago and seemed rather cordial with each other. Paul had just started to make big waves in the sport of boxing and - after defeating former UFC champion Anderson Silva - decided to take a little holiday to the Middle East.

As for Joshua, the Brit was in Dubai for training and a holiday. The YouTuber-turned-boxer trained with Joshua's friend Lawrence Okolie, and later played laser tag with the ex-champion. A year prior to their meeting, 'AJ' was asked for his thoughts about Paul and insisted he's 'great for boxing.'

“[He’s] great for boxing", the heavyweight . "He’s trying, zero amateur experience, throwing himself in the deep end. He’ll probably learn a lot more than a lot of fighters, throwing himself in the deep end, putting himself under pressure. Good luck to him.”

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Recalling the meeting in Dubai, Paul said: "To me that means the most when the legends of the sport are like 'this kid's legit and what he's doing for the sport is great'. It's easy to get lost in the comments and in the sheep hating on you. But then there's guys like Roy Jones Jr, Evander Holyfield, Tyson, all these legends showing love. Even Tyson Fury, current active champions, or Anthony Joshua. I was just with him and he was singing praises; that to me means more [than online hate]. I haven't really seen [many boxing legends badmouth him]. Which I guess is kind of the tell-tale sign; if your peers respect you then that's the most important."

Three years on from their link-up, the pair have now discussed a potential fight. Back in March, Joshua called the young American after the latter claimed he could beat him in a dust-up. Both fighters posted images of the phone call with the caption 2026, teasing a potential clash sometime next year.

Initially, reports claimed that the pair would trade leather towards the back end of 2026. That said, Paul's promoter and business partner - Nakisa Bidarian - recently revealed that he is having discussions with Eddie Hearn and that the clash could happen a lot sooner than anticipated.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: "I think the fight can absolutely happen. I'm looking at it as Jake versus Joshua, which is quite biblical, and it's quite impactful in many ways. I think size wise, we can get comfortable with it, and I think experience wise, Jake is learning very fast and growing, and Joshua is a little long in the tooth. So it could be a very interesting matchup, and we're actively discussing it with Matchroom.

"I think we're looking at it happening at the start of 2026. It's public that AJ was taking a little time away, I think he had a little surgery. So once he's ready, and once Jake is ready, we're going to squarely focus on that. It's a fight that Jake wants to do, and that's a discussion we've had at length, and he feels very confident about where he is in his career and his chances of upsetting Anthony Joshua."

When is Jake Paul's next fight?

Paul is hoping to remain active following his dominant win over former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Days after the victory, the 'Problem Child' was placed in the WBC's cruiserweight rankings. The 28-year-old's promoter revealed his business partner is keen on fighting for a world title 'as soon as possible'.

However, he admits it is likely it won't happen next, given the current standings at 200lbs. "Absolutely [he will fight again this year]. November or December," Bidarian told Ariel Helwani when asked about Paul's next steps. "I'm seeing him tonight for dinner, and we will have a conversation [about his next opponent]. The only possibility right now is that Jake wants to fight for a belt as soon as possible.

"I have to talk to him, I think it's tough this year [to box for a world title]. Badou Jack is who he wants to fight more than anyone, and he has a mandatory rematch with the guy he just beat [Noel Mikaelian] for the WBC. I don’t know if this year is possible [for the title fight], but we’ll see."