Boxer and social media personality Jake Paul will face former unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in a sanctioned eight-round bout in Miami on December 19, promoters announced Monday, with the matchup to be streamed globally and exclusively on Netflix.
The professional heavyweight bout, set to take place at the Kaseya Center, will feature two fighters wearing 10-ounce gloves for three-minute rounds. The high-profile booking comes after Paul’s original December opponent, the much-smaller Gervonta Davis, was accused of domestic violence. The allegations prompted Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions to cancel the fight with Davis, but he’s managed to salvage the date and secure a matchup against what will be his toughest challenge yet.
Paul (12-1-0) has built his record by often fighting past-their-prime combat sports athletes from outside the professional boxing sphere. His previous two opponents, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and an aging and ailing Mike Tyson, were seen as far less dangerous than Joshua. “This isn’t an AI simulation. This is Judgment Day,” Paul said in a statement announcing the fight. “A professional heavyweight fight against an elite world champion in his prime. When I beat Anthony Joshua, every doubt disappears, and no one can deny me the opportunity to fight for a world title.”
Joshua (28-4-0), a British boxer who was once the face of the heavyweight division as a former IBF, WBA, and WBO titleholder, will enter the ring following a fifth-round technical knockout loss to Daniel DuBois, during which he was floored four times. Though the 36-year-old is no longer considered to be in his prime, he should be a heavy favorite versus Paul. Still, Joshua has struggled to regain his formerly dominant form, going 6-4 since his shocking 2019 upset loss to Andy Ruiz Jr., a rocky span that also included back-to-back defeats to reigning heavyweight king Oleksandr Usyk as well as a brutal second-round knockout of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in 2024.
“Jake or anyone can get this work. No mercy,” said Joshua in a press release. “I took some time out and I’m coming back with a mega show. It’s a big opportunity for me. Whether you like it or not, I’m here to do massive numbers, have big fights and break every record whilst keeping cool, calm and collected. Mark my words, you’ll see a lot more fighters take these opportunities in the future. I’m about to break the internet over Jake Paul’s face.”
Paul continued to hype the fight in his own statement: “To all my haters, this is what you wanted. To the people of the United Kingdom, I am sorry. On Friday, December 19, under the lights in Miami, live globally only on Netflix, the torch gets passed and Britain’s Goliath gets put to sleep. I KNOWWWW YOU GOT EM PICKED HAHAHHA.”
UFC boss Dana White was among the boxing fans who have already weighed in on the matchup. In the post-event press conference for last weekend’s UFC 322, White told reporters that fighting Joshua was a “bad idea” for Paul, adding, “Everybody’s gonna get what they’ve finally been waiting for.”
