No script, Joshua will quickly knock Paul out – Hearn

I have no real defence of Anthony Joshua versus Jake Paul. It’s crazy that it’s happening and I think the critics are spot on.

But we just couldn’t turn it down. No boxer in their right mind would have said no. Anyone who says they would are completely lying through their teeth.

We took a fight that we believe will be very straightforward, will give AJ a huge profile in America and one of his career-high paydays.

AJ was going to have a run-out fight in November in Saudi – an eight-rounder against a guy who was ranked about 100th in the heavyweight division.

It was an opportunity to wrap the hands with his new training team, do the ringwalk and go through the motions. Now we’re doing that same run-out but for 50 times more money.

We have a clear strategy in mind – to knock Jake out asap. Then we go into normal service being resumed in 2026.

AJ will fight against a world-class opponent in February and – if all goes well – he will then fight Tyson Fury.

So there’s a method to this madness and taking this fight does not affect AJ’s legacy. But losing to Jake or it even going the distance would.

It would be an absolute disaster and awfully embarrassing.

So many people have come up to me asking if it’s scripted. Firstly, we’d be investigated by the FBI if it was. It would be illegal. This is a professional contest and a sanctioned bout where people are betting on it.

And do you think I would ever allow AJ to have a script with Jake? A script where we might lose or even hold him up and look bad? No way.

We are not giving this guy an edge or a chance to say “told you I was better than AJ” or “I won rounds”. This would be catastrophic for AJ and we’re not going to risk that.

Then there are those saying if AJ doesn’t knock him out in the first round then it’s a disgrace.

He’s expected to walk through this guy but, blimey, give him two or three rounds just in case. Because how Jake approaches it will reflect on the speed of destruction.

If he gets brave, it will all be over quickly. But if he is boxing on the back foot and trying to tie him up and jab and move, then he might last a couple of rounds.

We’re not going to see AJ run across the ring in the first few seconds and start windmilling.

Just like he did against Francis Ngannou, he will go in there, measure him up and then go in with the heavy artillery.

I’ve heard the likes of Roy Jones Jr and Teddy Atlas saying you can’t count Jake out in this fight. Am I losing the plot here? Is there something they’re seeing that I’m not?

Let’s get one thing right – Jake is a professional boxer. I think he’s a decent cruiserweight – top 60 or 70 in the world.

This isn’t a guy who has never laced a pair of gloves before. He can whack a little bit. He’s sparring Lawrence Okolie and top-10 heavyweights.

Forgetting the win over Mike Tyson, who was an old man, Jake did beat Julio Cesar Chavez Jr – who may have been a done fighter but was not a complete mug.

Chavez Jr trained for the fight and was a former world champion who went to points with Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and nearly stopped Sergio Martinez in the final round.

So I actually credit Jake for training hard and showing respect to the craft of boxing, and he has done so much for women’s boxing with his Most Valuable Promotions.

But despite his delusion, passion, dedication and improved skills, he should be getting iced by Joshua.

Jake and his team are hoping for a lot of things. Hoping AJ is underestimating him, hoping AJ is shot, hoping AJ’s inactivity will cost him, hoping AJ is low in confidence, hoping AJ’s chin isn’t what it once was.

But, unfortunately for them, AJ is super switched on. He’s had a camp and he’s training like he’s fighting Oleksandr Usyk or in a Daniel Dubois rematch.

I expect my fighter to win inside two rounds with a devastating knockout.

He could hit Jake to the body and he would break his ribs and he wouldn’t be able to get up.

If he hits him clean, he will knock him spark out. Or the referee could jump in.

We don’t know how it could play out but with the way AJ punches – with the speed and destruction – as soon as Jake is hit on the chin, the fight is over.

Then we go back to AJ’s two goals he wants to achieve in the time he has left in this sport – to fight Fury and to become a three-time world heavyweight champion.

Eddie Hearn was speaking to BBC Sport’s Kal Sajad.