Paul's promoter: with proper preparation, Jake Paul could beat Anthony Joshua

Jake Paul, the American YouTuber turned professional boxer, could beat British heavyweight Anthony Joshua with proper preparation, according to Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder and chief executive of boxing company Most Valuable Promotions (MVP). He made the comments to Sky Sports about last December's fight, which Paul lost, and about Paul's upcoming return to the ring.

The Joshua fight

Last December Paul faced Joshua, a former two-time heavyweight world champion. The fight was stopped in the sixth round in Joshua's favour. Paul suffered a broken jaw, had some teeth removed and needed two titanium plates placed in his mouth.

Bidarian said he had opposed the bout from the start because it was arranged on just three weeks' notice. In his view, Paul was not far off: he landed several punches on Joshua, but there was too little time to prepare. Paul had been cutting weight for a fight with Gervonta Davis and then faced an opponent who was naturally about 40lbs heavier. With a proper training camp, Bidarian said, Paul would have a good chance.

In July Joshua beat Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga despite being knocked down twice in the first round. He is now preparing to face Tyson Fury on December 11 at Cardiff's Principality Stadium.

The next opponent

Paul announced this week that he will return to the ring in Dubai on December 24 against an opponent yet to be named. It will be his first scheduled fight since losing to Joshua. His record includes bouts with Mike Tyson, Julio César Chávez Jr and Nate Diaz.

Bidarian said the shortlist has been cut to three or four names, with Darren Till among those considered. He hopes to announce the opponent within the next two weeks, and said the team wants someone commercially viable and a genuine test, but without a major advantage over Paul.