You saw what Anthony Joshua did to former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, who held his own against ex-WBC titleholder Tyson Fury. Now imagine what the 6’6” Joshua — who sports a staggering 82” reach — would do to a cocky cruiserweight like Jake Paul.

The 28 year-old Paul has frequently named the stiff, chinless “AJ” as a prospective opponent; however, Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn believes the booking is a “catastrophic mismatch” due to the disparity in size, as well as skill.

“Look, [Paul is] calling out Gervonta Davis, who is a 135-pound lightweight, and he’s calling out Anthony Joshua, that’s a heavyweight monster,” Hearn told talkSPORT. “I think Jake Paul is crazy enough to fight Anthony Joshua because the money would be absolutely obscene. It’s a catastrophic mismatch that people would tune in to watch because it would lead to the end of Jake Paul. Hopefully, not literally, but it’s that dangerous. It’s a fight that I don’t think should really happen if I’m honest. [Joshua is] not exactly looking at Jake Paul going, ‘Oh, that’s my dream opponent.’ Would he go in there and give him a hiding for a massive chunk of money? Probably. I’d like to see it.”

Paul was ranked by WBA following his Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. victory on June 28 in Anaheim.

“A lot of these governing bodies, although they’re governing bodies, some of them are commercially led and think it’s gonna benefit them to have Jake Paul in their rankings,” Hearn continued. “I think Jake Paul is in the top hundred in the world in the cruiserweight division. And by the way, I don’t think that’s an awful achievement given the fact this guy found boxing in his mid-twenties. I think he’s doing well, I think he’s improving. Is he world class? Absolutely not. But he is improving and he’s a lot better than a lot of fighters out there. So in a way, good luck! I can’t believe I’ve said it, but in a way, good luck.”

Joshua, 35, has not competed since getting cooked by Daniel Dubois last fall in Riyadh. Most of the chatter around “AJ” revolves around a potential Tyson Fury fight, but it appears “The Gypsy King” and his Saudi supporters are more interested in chasing rabbits in 2026.

Sounds like Paul will have to wait for this top star to retire if he wants to secure a blockbuster boxing match.