Jake Paul’s Relentless Training Ritual Ignites Fury from Eddie Hearn as Joshua Braces for Heavyweight Clash
In the high-stakes world of professional boxing, where every punch carries the weight of legacy and every training session tests the boundaries of endurance, Jake Paul has once again thrust himself into the spotlight.
Just two weeks out from what could be the defining fight of his controversial career—a sanctioned heavyweight showdown against former two-time unified champion Anthony Joshua on December 19, 2025, at Miami’s Kaseya Center—the YouTuber-turned-boxer unveiled a grueling warm-up ritual that’s left promoters fuming and rivals on edge.
Broadcast live on Netflix, the bout promises to shatter viewership records, much like Paul’s unanimous decision victory over a 58-year-old Mike Tyson drew over 108 million global streams last November.
But as Paul pushes his body to extremes that border on the superhuman, the boxing establishment is reeling, with Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn unleashing a torrent of criticism that echoes the sport’s deep-seated divisions.
Paul’s latest training montage, shared across his 20 million Instagram followers, captures a regimen that’s as theatrical as it is torturous.
Under the scorching Puerto Rican sun, the 28-year-old Cleveland native begins at dawn with a three-mile beach run, his feet pounding the sand as waves crash against his calves—a nod to Tyson’s own infamous “salt water cleanse boxing” sessions from last year. But Paul doesn’t stop there.
What follows is a ritual few dare to replicate: an hour of high-intensity interval training on unstable surfaces, blending plyometric jumps over custom hurdles with weighted neck bridges that strain the very limits of human physiology.
Sparring rounds ensue against elite partners like heavyweight contenders Lawrence Okolie and Jared Anderson, their gloves thudding against Paul’s reinforced guard as he absorbs body shots designed to mimic Joshua’s devastating hooks.
“This isn’t just training; it’s transformation,” Paul captioned the video, his voiceover booming over footage of him meditating on a cliffside, visualizing the moment he topples another British heavyweight icon. At 227 pounds for his last outing against Julio César Chávez Jr.
in June, Paul has bulked to a career-high 235, his frame a sculpted testament to five years of unyielding commitment. Insiders whisper that this “limit-pushing” approach, incorporating cryotherapy plunges and oxygen-deprivation masks, has shaved seconds off his recovery time, turning potential vulnerabilities into weapons.
The response from Eddie Hearn was swift and scorching. The British promoter, whose star stable includes Joshua, has long viewed Paul as a disruptor—a social media savant more interested in viral moments than the sweet science’s purity.
In a blistering interview with BBC Sport just days after the video dropped, Hearn didn’t mince words. “You’re insane, Jake. This isn’t boxing; it’s a circus act dressed in gloves,” he thundered, his face reddening on camera as he slammed a fist on the table.
Hearn, who once promoted one of Paul’s early influencer scraps, accused the fighter of “disrespecting the sport” by glamorizing such recklessness. “Pushing the limits of the human body? That’s code for endangering lives.
Mike Tyson was spent at 58—finished, a shadow of the Iron Mike who terrorized heavyweights in the ’80s.
And now you’re dragging Anthony into this farce? If Joshua gets tangled in your web of hype, it’s not just his career; it’s boxing’s soul on the line.” Hearn’s outrage isn’t isolated; it stems from a simmering feud dating back to 2022, when Paul accused him of judge-bribing in a since-dismissed defamation suit.
Yet, beneath the bluster, there’s a grudging respect—Hearn later admitted on talkSPORT that Paul’s event-building prowess, from the Tyson spectacle’s 72,300 sellout at AT&T Stadium to this Joshua clash’s projected 150 million viewers, has “hat-tip worthy” appeal.
Still, he vows to exit the arena before any post-fight celebrations if Paul pulls off the improbable.
Anthony Joshua, the 35-year-old Olympic gold medalist with a 28-4 record and 25 knockouts, isn’t dismissing the threat. Towering at 6’6″ and capped at 245 pounds for the eight-rounder— a concession to level the playing field against Paul’s cruiserweight roots—Joshua has been uncharacteristically cautious in his buildup.
In a rare vulnerable moment during a FaceTime call shared by Paul’s camp, Joshua’s eyes narrowed as he watched the ritual footage.
“Jake’s no joke; he’s serious, built like a tank now,” the Brit admitted to Sky Sports, his voice laced with the wariness of a man who’s been rocked by upsets before, from Andy Ruiz Jr.’s 2019 shock to his recent fifth-round stoppage loss to Daniel Dubois.
Joshua, who shelved a tune-up against Cassius Chaney to take this payday estimated at $30 million, knows the stakes. A win cements his path to a 2026 megafight with Tyson Fury; a loss? “It’d be the end for boxing,” Hearn hyperbolized, though Joshua himself frames it as redemption.
“I’ve realigned after time out. Paul’s speed and stamina are real, but one clean right hand from me, and it’s over.
No mercy—I’ll break him, school him on what elite really means.” Even Joe Rogan, on his podcast, issued a stark warning to Paul: “You’re f***ed if that nuclear right lands. Joshua’s angry, motivated. This ain’t Tyson 2.0.”
Paul’s ritual isn’t mere showmanship; it’s a calculated evolution from his Tyson prep, where similar beach sprints and visualization drew mockery but delivered victory. Back then, critics like Hearn labeled it “elder abuse,” yet Paul’s disciplined eight-round domination—landing 78% of his power shots while Tyson fatigued—proved doubters wrong.
Now, facing Joshua’s pedigree, Paul leans harder into the extremes, training twice daily, six days a week, with sessions that leave sparring partners like Anthony Taylor recalling “hot-as-hell Puerto Rico gyms where Jake wouldn’t let up.” Taylor, who went four rounds with Paul in 2021, told EssentiallySports it was “punishing—no one’s built like that anymore.” Paul’s confidence borders on arrogance: “When I beat AJ, doubts vanish.
Haters wanted this; UK, sorry in advance.” His brother Logan echoed the family terror mixed with thrill, blurting, “Is he out of his mind?” on a viral call, while mom Pam’s goosebumps spoke volumes: “Terrified.”
This clash transcends the ring—it’s a cultural collision between old-guard boxing and new-era spectacle.
Hearn’s fury underscores the purists’ plight: Paul’s antics draw millions, inflating purses and globalizing the sport, but at what cost to credibility? Joshua, wary yet resolute, embodies the establishment’s last stand, his caution a far cry from the brashness that once defined him.
As December 19 nears, the air crackles with tension. Will Paul’s ritual forge a legend, or will Joshua’s power expose the limits even he can’t push? One thing’s certain: in boxing’s brutal theater, recklessness rewards the bold—but punishes the unprepared.
With Netflix’s beam locked on Miami, the world watches, breathless, as Jake Paul dares to redefine impossible.
