Jake Paul has his toughest test yet.
Paul squares off against Anthony Joshua, a two-time unified heavyweight world champion and Olympic gold medalist, in a professional bout Dec. 19 in Miami on Netflix.
“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. I KNOWWWW YOU GOT EM PICKED HAHAHHA”
Paul was supposed to face Gervonta Davis on Nov. 14, but dropped out of the fight after a recent lawsuit against Davis revealed disturbing allegations of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Joshua (28-4) hasn’t fought since he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois on Sept. 21, 2024 in a fight for the IBF heavyweight title. Joshua has 25 knockouts in his career, including a one-sided beatdown of Francis Ngannou in the second round on March 8, 2024.
“Jake or anyone can get this work. No mercy,” Joshua 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.”
Paul (11-1) defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. via unanimous decision this past June in his only fight of the year. Prior to that fight, he got past 58-year-old Mike Tyson via unanimous decision.
Paul has won six straight fights since his lone career loss via split decision to Tommy Fury, the half-brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
At the UFC 322 post-fight press conference Saturday night, UFC president Dana White reacted to the rumors about Paul vs. Joshua fight possibly happening.
“Let me tell you what, a lot of people will watch that one,” White said. “Sure [I’ll watch]. You know what everybody’s tuning in for on that one. I think everybody’s going to get what they’ve finally been waiting for.”
