Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul | NETFLIX - 19 December 2025

[Controversial]

If it isn't a real fight then this will prove once and for all that his whole career is a sham, and nobody will watch again.

The problem is if this isn't a real fight it'll mean to most people that watch it that all of Boxing is now a sham, and is no longer worth watching.

This isn't Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua. This is Jake Paul vs Boxing's Integrity. If Joshua loses, the sport has no Integrity, and maybe it never did, and we might oughta just do away with it.

I just find it hard to buy that Jake Paul is dumb enough to have a real fight with an 18 stone 6,6 HW who hits like an 18 wheeler.

But why would Anthony Joshua allow himself to be bought off? He's already rich. He doesn't need the money. He's not a charity case. He's still an active contender in the Heavyweight division, and still one of its biggest names. Toward the tail end of his career certainly, but still with a few years left in him it would appear should he want them.

Why would he throw it all away by giving a bullsh*t effort against this guy?

To me it feels like the entire Jake Paul saga has been building to something like this, and this is where it ends. This is the way it has to end.

Yeah it makes you wonder if this is JP signing off with a huge pay cheque. I can’t believe he really believes he can beat AJ and I can’t see AJ taking it easy so it should be over quick. If it isn’t then boxing loses a lot of credibility and becomes a joke.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Frank--Warren says Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul fight has 'car crash written all over it'

Promoter Frank--Warren believes Anthony Joshua's fight against Jake Paul has "car crash written all over it."

It was announced on Monday that the former two-time unified heavyweight champion Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) will face Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) in a professional bout on Dec. 19 in Miami, Florida.

The fight was rumoured earlier this year before Paul agreed to fight lightweight champion Gervonta Davis, until the fight fell through earlier this month. Paul notoriously had Joshua on his fight wish list and has now landed the bout.

Joshua will now step in but Warren, who promotes fellow British heavyweight Tyson Fury, has no doubts how it will unfold.

"It's a big, big moment for him [Paul]. He's a massive underdog, everyone will think it's going to be rubber-stamped. It's got car crash written all over it," Warren told ESPN.

"People will watch it. It's a big fight, a fight that will have big viewing figures.

"He's [Joshua] taking the money and it's a safe option. I'd much rather he be in there fighting Moses [Itauma]."

Despite fighting Paul in the controversial bout, it's hoped Joshua will still fight Fury in a much anticipated showdown next year.

Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn said last week they will work towards the fight with Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, set to attempt to broker a deal between the two.

Alalshikh said Joshua will fight in February before targeting Fury in 2026.

Hearn has gone on record to say that their side deal was almost done, but Warren said Fury will have the final say.

"Tyson will make his decision what he wants to do," Warren said.

"All it's about with Tyson is does he want to do it and how much [money]?

"There's talks going on. The one to take it is Tyson if he wants to do it or not. If the offer is the right offer, he'll do it."

[Ruthless-RKO]

Joshua given offer he simply couldn't refuse - Bunce

Boxing expert Steve Bunce says Anthony Joshua was given an "offer he simply couldn't refuse" to fight Jake Paul.

Britain's Joshua, the former two-time unified heavyweight champion, will take on YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul at Kaseya Center in Miami on 19 December.

The fight will consist of eight three-minute rounds and both fighters will wear regulation 10-ounce gloves.

Joshua, 36, weighed more than 250lbs during his previous three fights but must come in at under 245lbs for the bout.

Bunce said that the fight is "ridiculous" and 28-year-old American Paul is nothing more than a "novice", but added he can understand the financial appeal for Joshua who is reportedly, external set to earn £36.9m ($50m).

"Last November Jake Paul fought Mike Tyson and nearly broke the world," Bunce told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"They had something ridiculous like 300 million people watching on different channels and were paid something along those lines in dollars as well.

"And that's the reason this fight is happening, let's get it right. AJ has been made an offer he simply couldn't refuse and he's accepted.

"I would not deny a single man or woman that boxes professionally a pound note, penny, a cent, a dime, the money for any fight.

"If AJ is being paid as handsomely as we're told, bear in mind he does a lot of work for the community with his foundation, if it spreads the love around and absolutely loads up his pockets, I've no problem with it."

Bunce said Joshua is "still in talks" over fighting fellow Briton Tyson Fury and the Paul bout will be "one of the final paydays" for the 2012 Olympic champion despite an obvious mismatch.

"AJ will be at least six inches taller and he will be perhaps four stone heavier. He's an Olympic champion remember - we overlook that fact," Bunce said.

"Jake Paul is a terrific novice. He's a great novice in a weight division below - cruiserweight - and that's what he is: a novice. But he's a novice who conjures up these ridiculous fights."

Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions and Paul's manager, said he had no concerns about the fight on safety grounds.

"I don't think it's reckless in any way shape or form," he told BBC Sport.

"Jake's in a much better position than a lot of fights which happen in boxing on a regular basis. I think he has a great shot.

"AJ is big, strong, but slower. He's more vulnerable to Jake's movement. In my mind this is more sanctionable than many fights in the sport of boxing."

However, former British middleweight Nick Blackwell - who had to retire from boxing after he sustained a brain injury against Chris Eubank Jr in 2016 - said he does not agree with the fight going ahead as he feels it is "so dangerous".

He told BBC Newsbeat he does not "want anyone to go through what I've been through" and thinks Joshua will be "able to do what he wants".

Despite his personal objection, he understands the global appeal the fight will have.

"He's going to earn a lot of money out of it and everyone's going to want to watch it," he added.

"It's entertainment for everyone, a massive stage for them both, but I don't agree with it and the whole boxing world won't agree with it."

Will it tarnish Joshua's reputation?

Bunce acknowledged there is a recent history of fights of this nature and cited UFC champion Francis Ngannou's bouts against Tyson Fury and Joshua as an example.

Fury claimed a controversial victory by split decision in October 2023 before Joshua cruised to a second-round knockout win over Ngannou in March 2024.

"Tyson Fury travelled out to Saudi Arabia and picked up an absolute fortune for fighting Ngannou, who was 6ft 7in and 20 stone," Bunce said.

"Ngannou was 'untouchable' and 'unbreakable'. He pushed Fury and dropped him and people screamed blue murder saying it was a disgrace that Fury had damaged our sport.

"What happened, beautifully, a few months later was AJ got in with him [Ngannou], looked him up down, walked out then promptly knocked 10 bells out of him and sparked him out unconscious in the second round."

Bunce said there is a big difference between Joshua fighting someone of Ngannou's physical stature compared to Paul, though.

He added: "It's even more alarming for Jake Paul in the sense that Ngannou is five inches taller than Paul and five and a half stone heavier as well as having, quote unquote, 'the greatest chin in all fighting sports'.

"He managed to get himself sparked out in the second round so lord only knows what will happen to Jake Paul once the first bell sounds. Don't try to say you won't be watching, though - of course you will!"

However, Paul's promoter Bidarian insisted the bout will be a "career-defining moment" for both fighters and Joshua has the chance to become a "legend" to many in the "boxing community who hate Jake Paul".

He said: "For Jake Paul it's a chance to show how far he has come. For Anthony Joshua it's a chance to end the Jake Paul train, but also a lot of risk for him if he doesn't show the way he should, the way people expect him to.

"I commend him for not getting caught up in that noise of 'oh you shouldn't even be in there with Jake Paul'.

Does it feel like a dignified end to Joshua's career?

At 36 - and with his powers seemingly on the wane - Joshua's decision to fight Paul is a far from ideal way to see out the twilight of his career, according to Bunce.

"If I put my purist hat on, the hat of the man who has been covering schoolboy boxing, covered AJ at a mere 18 years of age, and been to every level of boxing, of course it's not dignified," he said.

"Would I have liked to see him with Fury five years ago? Of course I would have. But it didn't happen then and even that fight is going to be late."

Bidarian has predicted the Paul bout will be the "biggest combat sports event of 2025" and dubbed it the "biggest fight" of Joshua's career.

He said: "From a reach and viewership perspective, it's absolutely the biggest fight.

"Just like the biggest fight of Mike Tyson's career was against Jake Paul. The most people watched Mike Tyson in a fight in his whole career was against Jake Paul."

Bunce joked that at least Joshua's fight with Paul still retains at least a semblance of credibility given boxers have plumbed to even further depths at times.

"It could be worse. A great man called Chuck Wepner fought a bear. The fight was so good with the bear they had a rematch!" he added.

"When the bear came in for the second fight Chuck Wepner told me: 'I looked over to the bear and he had done his homework, and nullified my jab!'

"You cannot invent this sport sometimes."

[Ruthless-RKO]

Tommy Fury Reveals Why He Rejected $15m Offer To Fight Jake Paul

Tommy Fury will not be fighting Jake Paul despite the pair often going back and forth about a rematch.

These two first fought back in 2023 when Fury had had just eight fights. It was a relatively close contest, with Fury being put down in the final round but eventually taking a split decision points win on the cards.

Since then, he has had surgery to correct a hand injury and has fought just twice more, beating KSI in 2023, then Kenan Hanjalic back in May.

Paul, meanwhile, has pushed on and become one of the most talked about stars in boxing. He has now had 13 contests with just that one loss and some big wins against big names that have elevated his profile,

Most famously, he beat an almost 60-year-old Mike Tyson last November and has also bested Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, Nate Diaz, Tyron Woodley and Mike Perry, and is next out against Anthony Joshua on December 19 after Fury was reportedly offered the fight but refused.

Reacting on X, Fury explained his decision not to take the rematch despite the lure of a huge purse.

“Offering me the fight in America… a place you know I can’t get to right now. Convenient. Offer me the same $15M anywhere else in the world and I’ll be there in 8 weeks to shut you the f**k up and repeat what I did the first time. And ‘daddy’s little boy’? If anyone’s a son here it’s you… I gave you your first L. @jakepaul”

[Ruthless-RKO]

Terence Crawford accepted Jake Paul fight offer but Anthony Joshua preferred for one key reason

Terence Crawford accepted Jake Paul's fight offer, but the YouTuber-turned-boxer was the one who decided to face Anthony Joshua.

Paul's fight with Gervonta Davis was cancelled, and the 'Problem Child' was forced to look for an alternative opponent to get back into the ring before the start of 2026.

A list of potential foes was put together, with some ambitious names considered including recently crowned undisputed 168lbs champion Terence Crawford.

Ultimately, Paul decided to look elsewhere and announced his stunning heavyweight clash with Joshua, which will take place in Miami on December 19.

When giving the inside scoop on how the fight materialised, Paul's business partner Nakisa Bidarian insisted Crawford did give his blessing for a showdown.

He told TMZ: "And there were probably 30 fighters who accepted to fight Jake.

"AJ being one of them, Crawford being another, and AJ is the one that we came to an agreement on. Yes, 100% [he wanted the fight]."

On choosing Joshua, Bidarian added that he believes the choice of a more sizeable opponent was preferred to give him an unlikely chance of victory.

"It's a dangerous fight for Jake, but it's a more winnable fight for Jake than Gervonta Davis.

"And I say that in terms of, yes, Tank is a much smaller man, but he's quick, he's fast, he's precise, he's super skilled, and he had knockout power.

"AJ is big, strong, and has knockout power, but he's definitely slower than Tank. He's definitely less skilled than Tank.

"And so it will give Jake, the boxer, who's been in the sport a lot less than Joshua, the opportunity to display a better skill set than he would have against Tank from my perspective."

Bidarian then suggested Oleksandr Usyk's relationship with Joshua helped smooth over negotiations.

He concluded: "Joshua was in camp with Usyk's coaches. So I don't know who's picking whose brain, but Usyk's definitely in the conversation here."

[JC]

"It's a dangerous fight for Jake, but it's a more winnable fight for Jake than Gervonta Davis.

Feels like we're in a parallel universe.

[Nightmare Roy]

AJ will obviously slower than Tank but he's not slower than Paul, he looks like he's wearing lead shoes from the bits I've seen

[IRONFIST]

Joke of a "fight" that could end badly for the sport.

[joshj909]

"It's a dangerous fight for Jake, but it's a more winnable fight for Jake than Gervonta Davis.

Feels like we're in a parallel universe.

Deluded small American boxer defending another small American boxer. If Davis or Crawford or anyone else under the top three weightclasses would be a tougher fight at heavyweight then they'd all be fighting the giants and not the midgets.

[Controversial]

I’m guessing they think Davis is in his prime, much faster, fitter and skilled than AJ and that makes it harder. I can only assume they think AJ is shot

[mickey1975]

I’m guessing they think Davis is in his prime, much faster, fitter and skilled than AJ and that makes it harder. I can only assume they think AJ is shot

He looked shot to pieces last time out, the thing is, a shot AJ still wipes out JP.

[joshj909]

I’m guessing they think Davis is in his prime, much faster, fitter and skilled than AJ and that makes it harder. I can only assume they think AJ is shot

Davis should be targeting AJ then

[Ricky]

Joke of a "fight" that could end badly for the sport.

The "Sport" is already in the gutter, it's been absolutely taken over by 'influencers' and this is pretty much where it ends. Either this, or a death in the ring. This could possibly be fatal.

There's an old saying "You don't play boxing" - obviously Matchroom, Netflix, Dazn and all the rest of these rats have never heard that old adage, because none of them take anything seriously. It's the wild west compared to any other well regulated sport.

A disgusting mess.

[Controversial]

I’m guessing they think Davis is in his prime, much faster, fitter and skilled than AJ and that makes it harder. I can only assume they think AJ is shot

He looked shot to pieces last time out, the thing is, a shot AJ still wipes out JP.

Yeah of course. I don't think he's shot though.

[Controversial]

I’m guessing they think Davis is in his prime, much faster, fitter and skilled than AJ and that makes it harder. I can only assume they think AJ is shot

Davis should be targeting AJ then

Ha maybe, that'll be a sight, a 5'5" Davis weighting 200+lbs

[Ruthless-RKO]

I’m guessing they think Davis is in his prime, much faster, fitter and skilled than AJ and that makes it harder. I can only assume they think AJ is shot

He looked shot to pieces last time out, the thing is, a shot AJ still wipes out JP.

He’s not shot.

He got hurt in round 1 and didn’t recover.

He found his rhythm a little before being knocked out though.

[Oiky]

Whole fight is a show up

[Controversial]

For arguments sake let's say JP beats AJ. How would you then view the sport?

[mickey1975]

I’m guessing they think Davis is in his prime, much faster, fitter and skilled than AJ and that makes it harder. I can only assume they think AJ is shot

He looked shot to pieces last time out, the thing is, a shot AJ still wipes out JP.

He’s not shot.

He got hurt in round 1 and didn’t recover.

He found his rhythm a little before being knocked out though.

His reaction to the loss has been strange to say the least.

[gilgamesh]

Joke of a "fight" that could end badly for the sport.

The "Sport" is already in the gutter, it's been absolutely taken over by 'influencers' and this is pretty much where it ends. Either this, or a death in the ring. This could possibly be fatal.

There's an old saying "You don't play boxing" - obviously Matchroom, Netflix, Dazn and all the rest of these rats have never heard that old adage, because none of them take anything seriously. It's the wild west compared to any other well regulated sport.

A disgusting mess.

Once cable television went away, and it was all on streaming it was a huge blow to the sport. Many Boxing fans were just people that casually flipped through the channels, saw a fight on, and stuck with it.

Most aren't going to buy a streaming service, and go through the trouble to track it down.

So once it wasn't something you could just stumble onto by accident on Television, it lost a large chunk of its viewership.

[gilgamesh]

For arguments sake let's say JP beats AJ. How would you then view the sport?

It would be done. The sport would tumble down to the levels of Handball or Lacrosse.

I will say, it's hilarious that Jake or someone on his team genuinely believe that an Exhibition with Tank was going to be harder than a fight with Anthony Joshua

I don't know if he's just surrounded himself with Yes men who tell him what he wants to hear or what, but he sounds delusional on that one.

[Taansend]

Jack Paul beat Mike Tyson.

Who beat Larry Holmes.

Who beat Muhammad Ali.

He's already the best ever. AJ doesn't have a chance.

[Ruthless-RKO]

He looked shot to pieces last time out, the thing is, a shot AJ still wipes out JP.

He’s not shot.

He got hurt in round 1 and didn’t recover.

He found his rhythm a little before being knocked out though.

His reaction to the loss has been strange to say the least.

He had a worse reaction when he lost the Usyk rematch

[Coco]

Would anyone say Tyson v Peter McNeely was a worse mismatch?

[keithmoonhangover]

Would anyone say Tyson v Peter McNeely was a worse mismatch?

Not for me. McNeeley was a heavyweight and Tyson was coming off a long lay off.