Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua is just two days away. In a matchup that has baffled the boxing world, YouTuber turned pugilist Paul headlines live on Netflix this Friday, Dec. 19, in an eight-round professional boxing bout against former two-time unified heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua.
Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) and Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) face off in a short-notice matchup following the removal of Paul’s original opponent, WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis, due to Davis’ recurring legal issues.
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Paul vs. Joshua will be contested with 10-ounce gloves across eight three-minute rounds at Miami’s Kaseya Center. Prelims begin at 4:45 p.m. ET and stream on Netflix’s Tudum platform, while the main card begins at 8 p.m. ET and airs live on Netflix, free for all subscribers. Main event rings walks are expected around 10:30 p.m. ET.
Joshua, 36, is far from your ordinary Jake Paul opponent. The English superstar is an Olympic champion and one of the most accomplished heavyweight boxers of this era. Standing 6-foot-6 with a gargantuan 82-inch reach, Joshua remains one of the top-ranked heavyweights in the world. He challenged for the IBF world title as recently as his last fight — a September 2024 loss to Daniel Dubois at London’s Wembley Stadium. Prior to that, Joshua made an example out of another boxing interloper, brutally knocking out former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in under two rounds in March 2024.
Paul, 28, has rankled many in the fight game since his boisterous entry into professional boxing in 2020, but he has also largely outperformed expectations. The former Disney star has defeated an array of athletes from other sports, including the NBA (Nate Robinson), MMA (Anderson Silva, Nate Diaz, Tyron Woodley, Ben Askren), and bare-knuckle boxing (Mike Perry). More recently, he’s come out on top in matchups against aging former boxing world champions, defeating a 58-year-old Mike Tyson in November 2024 and besting a 39-year-old Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. this past June.
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Paul’s sole loss in the boxing ring came in a 2023 split decision at the hands of Tommy Fury, the younger brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
The massive discrepancies in both size and weight between Paul and Joshua have been on full display in their staredowns ahead of Friday’s bout. Joshua will not be permitted to weigh-in heavier than 245 pounds at Thursday’s official weigh-ins.
Anthony Joshua is a very large man.
(Eva Marie Uzcategui via Getty Images)
Paul was previously preparing for a 195-pound catchweight bout against WBA lightweight champion Davis, who generally competes at 135 pounds as a professional.
Friday night’s prelims feature four women’s championship bouts: Alycia Baumgardner vs. Leila Beaudoin for the unified super featherweight championship, Cherneka Johnson vs. Amanda Galle for the undisputed bantamweight championship, Caroline Dubois vs. Camila Panatta for the WBC lightweight championship, and Yokasta Valle vs. Yadira Bustillos for the WBC strawweight championship.
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Former UFC champions Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley also face off on the undercard.
The official Paul vs. Joshua fight card can be seen below. All odds courtesy of BetMGM.
Main Card (Netflix, 8 p.m. ET)
Heavyweight: Anthony Joshua (-900) vs. Jake Paul (+600)
IBF/WBO/WBA super featherweight championship: Alycia Baumgardner (-1200) vs. Leila Beaudoin (+700)
Cruiserweight: Anderson Silva (-225) vs. Tyron Woodley (+225)
Featherweight: Jahmal Harvey vs. Kevin Cervantes
Preliminary Card (Tudum, 4:45 p.m. ET)
Undisputed bantamweight championship: Cherneka Johnson (-800) vs. Amanda Galle (+550)
WBC lightweight championship: Caroline Dubois (-3000) vs. Camila Panatta (+1000)
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WBC strawweight championship: Yokasta Valle (-1000) vs. Yadira Bustillos (+700)
Welterweight: Avious Griffin (-500) vs. Justin Cardona (+400)
Cruiserweight: Keno Marley (-10000) vs. Diarra Davis Jr. (+1800)