Anthony Joshua is set to fight Jake Paul on Dec. 19. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
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Former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will step into the ring to fight YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul. And we know why: the monster bags he’ll be getting.
But is there anything beyond the money? Well, here’s what Joshua said about Paul and their fight set for Dec. 19 at Kaseya Center in Miami, “Jake or anyone can get this work. No mercy. 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.”
Joshua added a brutal yet bizarre prediction, “I’m about to break the internet over Jake Paul’s face.” (Um, yeah, we have no clue what that actually means.)
The Paul-Joshua fight will stream live on Netflix. It’s scheduled for eight, 3-minute rounds, and the fighters will wear the standard 10-ounce gloves for sanctioned heavyweight fights. Click here to see the promo.
Britain’s Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) will get the opportunity that WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis squandered. Davis lost his chance at a mega-fight (and mega-paycheck) with Paul after he got named in a civil lawsuit filed by an ex-girlfriend accusing Davis of a laundry list of charges, including kidnapping.
Paul had been prepping to square up against the 5-foot-5, 130-pound southpaw in Davis but now will face Joshua, who stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 250 pounds.
Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) weighed his heaviest, at 227.25 pounds, when he fought Mike Tyson for a heavyweight exhibition bout in 2024.
“This isn’t an AI simulation. This is Judgment Day,” Paul said in a statement. “A professional heavyweight fight against an elite world champion in his prime… To all my haters, this is what you wanted.””
Yes, Paul’s haters will get their wish in Joshua, a two-time heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist, who’s unlike all the other opponents Paul has faced. The bulk of Paul’s wins have come against MMA fighters or washed-up boxers. But at 36, Joshua is not far from his prime, having last fought for a heavyweight crown 14 months ago when he lost via knockout to Daniel Dubois in an IBF title bout.
And it wasn’t all that long ago when Joshua obliterated one of the scariest fighters on the planet, Francis Ngannou, in March 2024. Check out these nukes from Joshua:
Paul, who reportedly pursued Ryan Garcia to replace Davis, had also been linked to Joshua for the past six months. Back in July, Paul predicted he would fight Joshua, saying,”We’re gonna do the unthinkable and create one of the biggest fights in the history of boxing, and that’s what this is all about.”
But the real unthinkable has yet to happen, and that would be Paul defeating Joshua next month.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonystitt/2025/11/17/anthony-joshua-reveals-brutal-reason-for-fighting-jake-paul-in-netflix-bout/
