Tweet
Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua is just one day 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.
.
START WATCHING HERE (ONLY $7.99 WITHOUT CABLE & ANYWHERE)
.
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.
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 in 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.
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.