YouTuber turned boxer Jake Paul returns to action on Friday night, facing the biggest test of his career against two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
Joshua has not fought in over a year and will be starting this time as the heavy favorite despite taking a break from boxing.
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For Paul, this match, more than the rest of his previous matches combined, will go a long way in convincing supporters and skeptics alike whether the brash-talking social media star is a true world-class contender or just hype.
Here’s what you need to know before Paul vs. Joshua.
What is the date and start time for the Paul vs. Joshua fight?
The game is scheduled for Friday, December 19th.
Paul and Joshua are scheduled to begin their ring walk at 10:30pm local time (3:30am Japan time Saturday). The battle begins immediately after that.
Where will Paul vs. Joshua be held?
The heavyweight contest will be held at the Caseya Center in Miami, USA.
The venue is home to three-time National Basketball Association (NBA) champion Miami Heat and can accommodate up to 20,000 spectators for boxing matches.
How can I watch and follow Paul vs Joshua?
Al Jazeera’s live text commentary and photo coverage of the match night will begin on Friday 19 December at 23:30 GMT. We’ll bring you all the pre-fight talk, analysis and preparation before we bring you live round-by-round updates on Paul vs. Joshua.
The entire fight card will be streamed live worldwide exclusively on Netflix. All Netflix subscribers can stream the event at no additional charge.
What are the betting odds?
Joshua has a significant height and weight advantage, as well as a much better professional fighting history, making the Brit the overwhelming bookmakers’ favorite to win.
Odds from FanDuel (subject to change) offer the following prize lines, suggesting a near-certain victory for Joshua:
Jake Paul Win: +700
Anthony Joshua: -1300
What is Fight Wallet?
Although the numbers vary, both fighters appear to be on the receiving end of the biggest paydays of their careers.
It was initially reported that Paul and Joshua would split the fight money, which was a whopping $184 million.
Paul has since claimed on social media that the fight is actually worth a staggering $267 million, although he has not provided any evidence to support that inflated number.
Why hasn’t Joshua fought in over a year?
This will be Joshua’s first fight since September 2024, when he suffered a brutal fifth-round knockout loss to fellow Briton Daniel Dubois.
In the past 14 months, 36-year-old Joshua also underwent elbow surgery and took time away from the sport to recover and recharge, both mentally and physically.
Why didn’t Paul fight Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis?
Paul’s November 14 exhibition boxing match against WBA world lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis was canceled on November 4 after it was revealed that a civil lawsuit had been filed against Davis in Miami-Dade County in late October.
The scheduled bout had attracted a great deal of interest worldwide due to the novelty of the matchup, with the larger Paul competing against Davis at a weight limit of 135 pounds (61 kg).
Who is Jake Paul?
Paul, 28, is from Westlake, Ohio, and along with his older brother Logan rose to fame through social media. According to reports, Jake started his career posting videos on the online platform Vine in September 2013, amassing 5.3 million followers and 2 billion views by the time the app was discontinued.
Paul is 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 meters) tall and usually fights at cruiserweight or junior heavyweight. The weight class limit for this division is listed as 200 pounds (91kg).
The American fighter comes into this bout following on from his previous successful bout in June, when he won a unanimous decision against former world middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Prior to that, in November 2024, he gained worldwide fame by defeating legendary heavyweight fighter Mike Tyson, who was 58 years old at the time and had no trace of his former self.
Who is Anthony Joshua?
Anthony Joshua is a 6ft 6in (1.98m) boxer from Watford, a suburb of London, England.
In previous heavyweight bouts, Joshua weighed around 250 pounds (113 kg), but the fight regulations limit him to 245 pounds (111 kg) against Paul.
Joshua is a two-time unified heavyweight world champion. He held the unified titles (WBA, IBF, WBO) for the following periods: from April 2016 to June 2019, winning and unifying the IBF belt, but losing the belt to Andy Ruiz Jr. Then, from December 2019 to September 2021, he won a rematch with Ruiz Jr. before losing to current heavyweight world champion Oleksandr Usyk.
What is Paul’s record?
Paul began competing professionally in 2020 and has a professional record of 12 wins and 1 loss.
His only loss came in February 2023 to former heavyweight world champion Tommy Fury, brother of Tyson.
What is Joshua’s record?
The 36-year-old has a record of 28 wins and 4 losses. Joshua has fought famous heavyweights such as Usyk, Dubois and Wladimir Klitschko.
He is eight years older than Paul and has had more than twice as many professional fights as his opponent.
What does Paul say about this battle?
Paul predicted the fight would end in a fifth-round knockout victory.
“I’m here to go out and shock the world,” Paul said. “I know what I’m capable of. People say, ‘Oh, he’s insane.’ I got to where I am today thanks to delusional optimism. No one expects me to win, so join the list and prepare to be shocked.”
“He’s one of the greatest heavyweights of all time,” Paul added. “But I think fighting a smaller guy is often times more difficult for a heavyweight because of the speed difference, the foot speed, the angles. All that power is great. You just have to avoid that shot. I believe I can do it. I know I can pull him off and get points.”
What does Joshua say about this fight?
Despite being considered the favorite to win, Joshua said he is taking the eight-round contest seriously.
“You can’t underestimate anyone. I’m going to take him seriously,” Joshua said. “After a year, I’ve readjusted a lot of things in my life. I’ve been able to get my focus back where it needs to be.”
Joshua, who has 25 knockouts in his professional career, acknowledged that anything less than a quick knockout win would be seen as further damaging to his standing among the elite heavyweights.
“I’ve seen it, I’ve heard it,” he added. “Like I said with all due respect to Jake, I have to cut him up. I have to dismantle him, I have to hurt him. That’s what we’re doing.”
Who will compete in the co-main event?
In the co-main event, American Alicia Baumgardner will compete for two of the three world super featherweight titles (IBF, WBO) in an all-North American women’s showdown with Canadian challenger Leila Biduin.
Baumgardner, also known as “The Bomb,” hasn’t lost since 2018 and will start as a strong contender in the eighth title match of his professional career.
Biduin, who is on a four-game winning streak, will need to be at his best to upset the champions on Friday.
full undercard
Main Card (Saturday from 8pm | from 1am GMT)
Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua – Heavyweight (8 rounds of 3 minutes) Alicia Baumgardner vs. Lela Beaudoin – IBF & WBO Super Featherweight World Title (12 rounds of 3 minutes) Anderson Silva vs. Tyron Woodley – Cruiserweight (6 rounds of 3 minutes) Jermall Harvey vs. Kevin Cervantes – Featherweight (6 rounds of 3 minutes)
Reserve Card (Friday 4:45pm | 21:45 GMT)
Cherneka Johnson vs. Amanda Galle – Undisputed Bantamweight Title (2 minutes, 10 rounds) Jocasta Valle vs. Yadira Bustillos – WBC Strawweight World Title (2 minutes, 10 rounds) Avias Griffin vs. Justin Cardona – Welterweight (3 minutes, 8 rounds)
