Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul is not official: a sanctioned heavyweight bout to take place on December 19 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The eight-round bout will stream worldwide on Netflix at no extra cost to subscribers, as part of the platform’s growing live sports push.
Joshua, the former two-time unified heavyweight champion, returns after his knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois, while Paul arrives with momentum from a series of crossover wins that have kept him firmly in the boxing headlines.
Event Details and Fight Rules
This is a full professional fight, not an exhibition. It is scheduled for eight three-minute rounds under Queensbury rules, with both men wearing 10 oz gloves in what will be a sanctioned heavyweight contest.
A key twist is the contracted weight cap on Joshua: he is limited to weighing 245lbs, the first upper weight limit of his career, after weighing around 252lbs for the Dubois defeat. Paul, who has usually campaigned around cruiserweight and has boxed at heavyweight only once, will again concede height, reach and natural mass.
Netflix and Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions are marketing the show as a flagship global live event heading into the festive period, following the huge streaming numbers Paul previously generated.
Anthony Joshua’s Situation Coming In
For Joshua, this is high-risk and potentially low-reward unless you factor in a massive payday. At 36, he has a boxing record of 28 wins and 4 defeats, with 25 knockouts, but is rebuilding after losing his belts to Oleksandr Usyk and then being stopped by Dubois last year.
His resume, featuring world-title reigns, stadium headliners and wins over elite names, underlines the gulf in class between him and Paul, yet also raises the stakes. Anything short of a dominant performance will fuel further talk that his best days are behind him.
Jake Paul’s Biggest Gamble Yet
Jake Paul enters 12-1 with 7 knockouts, built against a mixture of ex-UFC fighters, MMA champions, and older boxers, plus a points win over 58-year-old Mike Tyson at heavyweight.
This, though, is a completely different level. He has clearly improved technically, tidier jab, better conditioning and calmer shot selection, but he has never shared a ring with an active, full-size heavyweight of Joshua’s calibre. His team are selling the bout as “Judgement Day,” the might he can silence critics and crash the world-title conversation.
Betting Outlook and Market Reaction
From a betting angle, the matchup looks heavily one-sided. Bookmakers have installed Joshua as the clear favourite, reflecting his size, experience and knockout record, while Paul is priced as a long-shot disrupter rather than a genuine 50-50 opponent. Right now, the Joshua boxing odds indicate this is mission impossible for Paul.
Casual fans drawn in by Paul’s online persona may still back the upset, nudging prices in places, but most analysts expect serious money to cluster around Joshua by stoppage, particularly in the early rounds, given the disparity between the two fighters.
Conclusion
Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul is a clash between heavyweight pedigree and new-age boxing celebrity. Joshua is fighting for relevance and a big payday. Paul is fighting for legitimacy and proof that he does belong on the sport’s biggest stage, regardless of what his critics say. The result, in reality, should be a foregone conclusion, because anything other than a Joshua win would turn boxing on its head forever.