The rumored fight between Jake Paul and former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is now a reality.
Netflix announced on Monday that Paul and Joshua will meet in a heavyweight matchup on Dec. 19 at the Kaseya Center in Miami. The fight card will start at 8 p.m. ET.
Mike Coppinger of Ring Magazine reported on Wednesday that Paul and Joshua were finalizing a deal for a fight next month after Paul’s scheduled fight against WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis fell through. However, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, pumped the brakes on the buzz around the matchup, saying during a radio appearance that “everyone has jumped the gun” because talks were still ongoing.
Some questioned the validity of a matchup between Paul and Joshua, as the former heavyweight titleholder outweighs the YouTuber by at least 50 pounds. Switching opponents from “Tank” to Joshua, who is a foot taller than Davis and outweighs him by 120 pounds, also raised some eyebrows.
In a press release, Paul acknowledged that this matchup will surprise many, but he promised to silence his doubters.
“This isn’t an AI simulation. This is Judgment Day,” Paul said. “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.”
Joshua, who hasn’t fought since suffering a fifth-round knockout loss against Daniel Dubois in September 2024, admitted that he took the fight against the 28-year-old to score a huge payday and added that he feels more boxers will follow in his footsteps.
“Jake or anyone can get this work. No mercy,” Joshua said. “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.”
It sounds like both Paul and Joshua are motivated to prove critics wrong when they meet in Miami, and they will have a month to prepare for the heavyweight bout.
