Yes, former Heavyweight Champion of the World Anthony Joshua is fighting YouTuber and Social Media personality turned boxer, Jake Paul, in a boxing match. This match takes place this weekend and will have the world's eyes upon it, for both good and bad.
Many, especially those from the boxing world, have criticised the much hyped fight, but fans are keen to see what will unfold. Below, we provide you with all the information you need to know ahead of the fight.
Jake Paul v Anthony Joshua key information
Date: Friday, December 19th
Start time:
- Prelims: 21:45 GMT (Friday, December 19th)
- Main Card: 01:00 GMT (Saturday, December 20th)
Jake Paul v Anthony Joshua expected ring walks: 03:30 GMT (Saturday, December 20th)
Venue: Kaseya Center, Miami, FL
Streaming/TV Channels: Netflix (UK)
Odds: Paul (6/1) - Joshua (1/12)
Why is Joshua v Paul happening?
Despite the belief that this fight would not actually materialise, it is happening this Friday. Originally, Jake Paul was going to face former super featherweight and lightweight world champion Gervonta Davis on November 14th. Eleven days before that event was supposed to take place, it was cancelled after domestic abuse allegations were made against Davis by his ex-girlfriend.
To replace the fight, the call went out to Joshua’s people; he accepted, and here we are. It has been widely reported that the fight is a multi-million-dollar fight with it being tweeted by Paul that the total purse stood at $267 million. This is a large part of why the fight is happening.
Anthony Joshua Background
36-year-old Anthony Joshua is an Olympic Gold Medal-winning, two-time heavyweight boxing champion of the world. He holds a record of 28 wins from 32 professional fights, with 25 of those wins coming by way of knockout. He has fought each fight at the heavyweight level and beaten the likes of Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker and Alexander Povetkin.
Jake Paul’s Boxing Journey
28-year-old Jake Paul is a social media personality who first found fame on Vine and YouTube. He diversified his talents and became a boxer, beginning his career in August 2018 against another YouTuber, Deji Olatunji. His professional career started in 2020, and since then has fought 13 fights, winning 12, seven of those by knockout. Paul has only fought once at the heavyweight level in his career, fighting predominantly at cruiserweight.
Paul’s opponents have rarely been active professional boxers, fighting a 58-year-old retired Mike Tyson, some MMA fighters and low-level boxers. The one fight he had against an active professional, he lost to Tommy Fury.
Rules & format
Jake Paul v Anthony Joshua is a real fight, not an exhibition bout. It will be contested as a professional heavyweight fight over eight three-minute rounds, sanctioned by the Florida Athletic Commission. The fighters will wear 10oz gloves, which is the normal size for a heavyweight fight, and Joshua has to weigh under 17st 7lb (111kg) on the day of the weigh-in.
For context, Joshua is five inches taller, standing at 6ft 6in and has a reach of 82in and weighed 252.5lbs (114.5kg) for his last fight in 2024. Paul stands at 6ft 1in with a 76in reach and weighed 228.4lbs (103.6kg) at his heaviest for a bout.
Expert & Boxing World Reaction
The fight has been heavily criticised by the boxing world. In a video on the BBC, Tony Bellew called the fight “ridiculous” and called for someone to “stop it”. It is seen as a foregone conclusion that Joshua will knock out Jake Paul; however, Paul’s camp has snapped back and said that Paul is ready to surprise Joshua and the world.