Jake Paul is officially taking the biggest swing of his boxing life. The YouTuber-turned-fighter will meet former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in a sanctioned heavyweight bout on December 19 in Miami, per ESPN via Most Valuable Promotions.
Videos by FanBuzz
Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images
The fight streams live on Netflix and is set for eight three-minute rounds with 10-ounce gloves. It's a massive pivot for Paul, who was originally lined up for an exhibition with WBA lightweight champion Gervonta "Tank" Davis.
That matchup evaporated when Davis was hit with a civil lawsuit accusing him of aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping and emotional distress.
Instead of facing a 130-pound star in a non-sanctioned matchup, Paul now jumps into the deep end with one of the most decorated heavyweights of his generation.
Joshua is a former Olympic gold medalist who has fought as heavy as 256 pounds. Paul has mostly campaigned at cruiserweight but weighed 227 in last year's exhibition with Mike Tyson.
Paul called the moment "Judgment Day" in a statement. He said beating Joshua would erase every doubt and open the door to a world-title shot.
"To all my haters, this is what you wanted," Paul said. "On December 19, the torch gets passed and Britain's Goliath gets put to sleep."
Paul is 12-1 with 7 knockouts and only 70 professional rounds since debuting in 2020. Joshua is 28-4 with 25 knockouts and more than 160 rounds against actual world-class heavyweights.
"Jake or anyone can get this work. No mercy," Joshua said via ESPN. He returned from elbow surgery after his September 2024 loss to Daniel Dubois and has been planning one tune-up fight before chasing a Fury showdown in 2026. Few expected the tune-up to be Paul.
MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian called it one of the "biggest fights of all time," adding that Paul's delusional confidence is his only edge. The Ring first reported negotiations last week.
Matchroom's Eddie Hearn summed up the general reaction. He admires Paul's guts. He also thinks this one ends badly. "Jake is going to find out the hard way in Miami."
