It is official, the fight that so many people believed could not happen, did not want to happen, is really happening.
It is official, the fight that so many people believed could not happen, did not want to happen, is really happening.
Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul will take place at Miami’s Kaseya Center on Friday December 19, and it will be streamed live globally by Netflix.
This will not be an exhibition, we repeat it is not an exhibition. It will be an officially sanctioned fight over 8 x 3-minute rounds, with both men wearing 10oz gloves.
There is one other key clause in the contract - Joshua cannot weigh in at more than 245lbs (17st 7lbs). You have to go back to 2022 and his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk for the last time he weighed under that mark.
The two-time world heavyweight champion (now 28-4 with 25 wins inside distance) is now 36 years old and will earn the biggest payday of his glittering career when he takes on a Youtuber with just 13 fights on his resume. Go figure…
The boxing world went into meltdown last Wednesday when news first broke that talks were ongoing about this fight, with many feeling it would tarnish AJ’s career in a big way.
But if you think about it hard enough, he’s about to earn an enormous cheque (north of £50m if reports are correct) for a fight which in theory carries the least risk.
Until now the 28-year-old Paul (12-1) has campaigned mainly at cruiserweight, about 40lbs south of where AJ normally operates. And his list of victims is a mixed bag of celebrities, former MMA stars and former boxers. His only loss was to Tommy Fury, he of Love Island fame.
Jake Paul a huge TV draw
The one thing that is certain is that any Paul fight is a huge draw - ‘The Problem Child’ pulled in an incredible 108m viewers when he outpointed the 58-year-old Mike Tyson on Netflix in November 2024. Expect a similar type of audience for this one.
Joshua has been out of action since that devastating knockout defeat by Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium back in September 2024. He has since undergone elbow surgery and is now ready to return to action.
Meeting Paul in December was not originally part of Joshua’s plan for the next 12 months, but here we are, money definitely talks. Assuming he comes through it unscathed, he will fight again in February before (hopefully) that long-awaited blockbuster vs Tyson Fury later in the year.
The oddsmakers clearly think there is only one outcome here - Joshua is a 1/14 favourite with Sky Bet in the early going, while Jake is a 7/1 shot and the Draw is 25/1.
Love it or hate it, this is a fight which will drum up ridiculous publicity, and most of the world will watch. Welcome to boxing, in 2025.
