George Groves says ‘Eddie Hearn has sold AJ out’

Former WBA super-middleweight champion George Groves didn’t pull punches when asked about Anthony Joshua‘s upcoming Netflix showdown with Jake Paul.

Though it is not an exhibition fight, Saint George thinks Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn sold out his biggest meal ticket for a payday. The decorated Brit is not impressed with AJ’s decision to participate in the bout and thinks Joshua should’ve walked away from the mega-fight that is scheduled to happen on December 19 in Miami.

George Groves slams Eddie Hearn and urges Joshua to walk away

Joshua squares off with the YouTuber-turned-boxer at the Kaseya Center in an eight-round professional heavyweight bout. Netflix streams the full live Friday at 8 p.m. ET with no pay-per-view fee. 

However, for Groves, the bout is just a convenient source of easy money for Netflix, which cannot appreciate the actual value of real boxers’ spirits. He torched the whole circus during an exclusive interview with FootItalia. 

He seemingly went nuclear on Matchroom Sport Chairman Eddie Hearn for chasing bags of dollars as a promoter without caring about protecting fighters’ legacies.

“Eddie Hearn has sold AJ out,” Groves declared. “Promoters aren’t driven by the same things that fighters are driven by. They’re driven by money. The financial gain they get is their legacy.”

Groves believes Joshua should’ve taken the high road. He thinks fighting with someone with a YouTube background shrinks everything the Olympic gold medalist accomplished. “Wouldn’t it have been cool if Joshua just said, f— that, I’m actually a professional,” Groves said. “I’m going to fight someone who’s worthy of sharing a ring with me.”

The former super middleweight champion admitted the decision would be tough for most fighters, given the tons of money Netflix is investing to make the mega-fight successful. But he insists he’d walk away if the gloves were on his hands.

“I think it would’ve been tough for most people, but I would walk away if I was Joshua,” he explained. “It’s beneath me. Let someone else take the money. Let someone else sell out.”

The two-time unified champion is coming back after being knocked out by Daniel Dubois in September, 2024. Jake Paul enters the fight with a 12–1 record, but he has never faced a boxer with Joshua’s level of skill.

Who will win or lose is another discussion, but Groves’ brain is still struggling to process what on earth Hearn was thinking when he arranged the fight against Paul.

Jake Paul’s heavyweight sparring lineup impresses Groves

Despite his disgust with the matchup itself, Groves respects Paul’s preparation for the upcoming Netflix bout. 

Paul revealed his nose got cracked during camp. Sanchez shifted it back a few millimeters, and Okolie left him with a black eye, signs he’s taking the Joshua fight seriously.

Groves said he saw photos of Paul training with Okolie, Jared Anderson, and another heavyweight, which caught his attention. He called it a formidable sparring team for the Joshua fight.

But he questioned whether Paul’s actually getting proper work or just photo ops. “What are you doing with them? Are you doing like 12 rounds and you’re bringing them in fresh after every couple of rounds?” he wondered. “Or is it literally just for the picture?”

“If he’s doing it then he’s leaving no stone unturned,” the former champion admitted. “He’s managed to get himself some top quality sparring.”

The YouTuber told Pat McAfee that his coaches think sparring in camp will be tougher than the fight itself. His plan is to read Joshua’s pattern and take advantage of openings, and he believes he can stop AJ before the sixth round. 

The boxing community, however, remains split on the matchup. Not surprisingly, Groves clearly falls into the disgusted camp, but admits he’ll tune in on Friday for sure.