Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua boxing match: Paul to face former heavyweight champ

Jake Paul (12-1-0) will face Anthony Joshua (28-4-0) on December 19 in the Kaseya Center in Miami, Netflix announced.

The fight will be available on Netflix and replaces the canceled bout with Gervonta Davis amid domestic violence accusations against Davis. This is surely the first time a boxer changed opponents and went from facing a lightweight to a heavyweight, but Paul was salvaged the December date in Miami and get another big name in for an actual, sanctioned heavyweight bout rather than an exhibition. 

The Paul-Joshua fight will be contested over eight, three-minute rounds with the fighters wearing 10 oz. gloves.

Paul’s fight with Davis was widely panned in the boxing industry given the massive weight difference and the unique rules for the exhibition to try and even things out between fighters with a 50-pound differential. Many called for Paul to prove himself against actual heavyweights for some time, and now he must do just that against the former IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight champion. 

At 36 years old, Joshua is no longer in his prime (no matter what Paul says), but is considerably closer to being an active contender than Paul’s last two opponents, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Mike Tyson. It’s still been more than a year since Joshua competed in the ring, suffering a knockout loss to Daniel DuBois in which he was put down four times and eventually lost via fifth round TKO. 

Joshua was once the heavyweight division’s most dominant force, but his shocking first loss to Andy Ruiz was the beginning of a downturn for his career. He has gone 6-4 in the ring going back to that Ruiz fight, including the DuBois loss and back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk. 

“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.” 

While Joshua insists this is a big fight for him, this is genuinely a massive opportunity for Paul to prove his doubters wrong against a legitimate heavyweight who was at the top of the sport not too long ago. Paul hopes a win over Joshua will be a springboard to getting an actual title fight. 

 “This isn’t an AI simulation. This is Judgment Day,” said Paul in a release. “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. 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”