YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul will face former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in a professional heavyweight boxing match on Dec. 19 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Most Valuable Promotions told ESPN on Monday.
The fight — which will be streamed live on Netflix — is scheduled for eight, 3-minute rounds, and the fighters will wear 10-ounce gloves, the standard for heavyweight fights.
It’s an about-face for Paul, 27, who was originally slated to take on WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis in an exhibition fight on Nov. 14. However, the bout was canceled after Davis was named in a civil lawsuit filed by an ex-girlfriend accusing the boxer of aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
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Instead of an exhibition against a hard-hitting pro boxer who campaigned at 130 pounds, Paul will now face a two-time heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist in a sanctioned professional boxing match who has fought as high as 256 pounds, over 100 pounds heavier than Davis. Paul has campaigned primarily as a cruiserweight with a 200-pound weight limit, although he weighed 227.25 pounds for his heavyweight exhibition fight with Mike Tyson 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. 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.”
Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) is still a novice in the sport with no notable amateur experience and only 70 total rounds boxed as a pro since 2020. He’ll take a massive step up from MMA fighters and journeyman boxers to face Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs), one of the hardest-hitting and most decorated heavyweights in the world with over 160 rounds boxed in his 12 years as a professional.
“Jake or anyone can get this work. No mercy,” Joshua, 36, said in a statement. “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.”
In his last outing in September 2024, Joshua was stopped in the fifth round of his IBF title fight against Daniel Dubois. He elected to have elbow surgery following the loss and had been sidelined since. Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter at Matchroom Boxing, told ESPN earlier this year that his charge would fight once in 2025 before targeting a massive all-British heavyweight fight with the currently retired Tyson Fury. However, few expected the one fight in 2025 would be against Paul.
“Everyone laughed when Jake Paul said in March that he wanted to fight AJ in 2026,” said Nakisa Bidarian, CEO of Most Valuable Promotions. “Well, plans changed, and in under two weeks, MVP and Netflix have made one of the biggest fights of all time. Now, as only Jake Paul could and would do, he’s fighting one of the most fearsome boxers in the world. Joshua has every advantage in this fight, except one — the delusional confidence of Jake Paul, and if anyone can shock the world, it’s him. This is a global clash between two of the most recognizable figures in the sport, Jake, the face of boxing’s new era, and Joshua, the King of UK boxing.”
Joshua had been targeted by Paul for a fight in 2026. However, those plans were expedited following the cancelation of the Davis fight. Most Valuable Promotions told ESPN that Paul would fight before the end of the year following the Davis cancelation but needed to quickly find an opponent.
The Ring was the first to report last week that the two sides were negotiating and now Paul will get the toughest test of his young career that very few expect him to be remotely competitive in.
“They say be careful what you wish for, kind of feel like that’s all I need to say,” Hearn said. “Two of the biggest names in the sport will collide on Dec 19. Whilst I admire Jake’s balls, he’s going to find out the hard way in Miami.”
