This Friday, the boxing world will witness a spectacle few predicted, as social media sensation turned professional pugilist Jake Paul steps into the ring with former two-time heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua. The bout, set for Miami, Florida, represents Paul's most audacious challenge yet, while Joshua aims to reassert his dominance after a period away from the sport.
Official Bout Specifications and Viewing Details
The contest is sanctioned as a fully professional eight-round heavyweight affair, with each round lasting the standard three minutes. The fight will take place on Friday, 19 December, in Miami. For viewers in the United Kingdom, the main event ringwalks are expected in the very early hours of Saturday morning, around 4am GMT.
In a significant move for the sport, the event will be broadcast globally via streaming giant Netflix. All subscribers will have access to the fight and the undercard action without any additional pay-per-view fee. For live coverage and analysis, Metro Sport will be running a dedicated fight blog from their team on the ground in Florida.
Weight Limits and Equipment Rules
Specific weight limits have been set for the contest. While Jake Paul, who weighed a career-heaviest 227.2 pounds for a previous bout, faces no upper restriction, Anthony Joshua must weigh in at or below 245 pounds. The former Olympian has historically scaled anywhere from a lean 244.5lbs to over 255lbs for his championship fights, making this limit a strategic consideration.
Both fighters will compete wearing 10-ounce gloves, standard for the heavyweight division. As a fully sanctioned professional contest, knockouts are not only permitted but expected by many pundits, given Joshua's formidable record of 25 stoppages in 28 wins and Paul's own seven knockouts from 13 outings.
Expert Predictions and Legacy Stakes
Despite Paul's notable improvement and undoubted power, the consensus within the boxing community is that the gulf in class and experience is simply too vast. Former world champion Anthony Crolla, speaking to Metro Sport, provided a stark assessment. He anticipates Joshua will use feints to unsettle Paul early, leading to a swift conclusion.
"I'll be absolutely shocked if this goes into the third round," Crolla stated. "I believe it will be all over within two." He suggested the first clean jab from Joshua will make Paul acutely aware of the monumental task before him.
For Joshua, the fight is a lucrative but high-stakes return. Following a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024, a dominant performance is seen as essential to rebuild momentum for a planned 2026 campaign. For Jake Paul, this is the ultimate 'golden ticket' opportunity—a chance to score what would be considered one of the greatest upsets in modern boxing history and irrevocably change his standing in the sport. The result, whether win, lose, or draw, will permanently mark both fighters' professional records.
