Jake Paul vs Terence Crawford — Nakisa Bidarian addresses rumours

On December 19, at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua will headline a Most Valuable Promotions card live on Netflix to all subscribers.

Before AJ vs Paul was announced, bouts with Ryan Garcia and Terence Crawford were rumoured. Nakisa Bidarian has appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show, where he addressed those rumours, while teasing a potential 2026 showdown with the undisputed super middleweight champion.

Nakisa Bidarian discusses Jake Paul vs Terence Crawford rumours

Jake Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) has received widespread criticism for the level of opposition he’s faced, but this is a clear step up for the cruiserweight fighter. It remains to be seen how much Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) has left, but as long as his punch resistance hasn’t completely deserted him, it’s difficult to see anything other than an AJ KO win.

Many have speculated whether it would be an exhibition or not. It quickly came to light that it will be listed as a sanctioned heavyweight bout, with the rules of the bout below:

• The fight is scheduled for eight 3-minute rounds.
• It is a sanctioned professional bout.
• Paul and Joshua will wear 10-ounce gloves.
• The only stipulation is that Joshua cannot weigh more than 245 pounds.

Appearing on The Ariel Helwani Show, MVP co-founder Nakis Bisarian addressed the rumours of a Paul vs Crawford fight and why that didn’t happen instead:

“They (Team Crawford) were very interested. They said we want to do this. I think the timing didn’t allow us to get to an understanding and a structure that made sense for all parties. But it’s something we’d like to pursue in 2026, for sure,”said Bidarian.

Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua full fight card

• Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua, 8 rounds, heavyweights
• Alycia Baumgardner vs Leila Beaudoin, 12 rounds, for Baumgardner’s WBO/IBF/WBA women’s super featherweight titles
• Anderson Silva vs Tyron Woodley, 6 rounds, cruiserweights
• Cherneka Johnson vs Amanda Galle, 10 rounds, for Johnson’s women’s undisputed bantamweight title
• Yokasta Valle vs Yadira Bustillos, 10 rounds, for Valle’s WBC women’s strawweight title
• Avious Griffin vs Justin Cardona, 8 rounds, welterweights
• Keno Marley vs Diarra Davis Jr., 4 rounds, cruiserweights

Stay with Big Fight Weekend for coverage of Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua, including results and video highlights, and post-fight analysis.