Judgment Day: Jake Paul confident of beating Anthony Joshua in heavyweight match
Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua heavyweight bout confirmed
Jake Paul (12-1, 7KOs) vs Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) takes place on December 19 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, live on Netflix.
Promoted by Most Valuable Promotions, the heavyweight bout is scheduled for 8x3 minute rounds, with 10oz gloves.
The fight comes 13 months after Jake Paul defeated former undisputed heavyweight champion Mike Tyson on November 15 last year.
For Joshua, it'll be his first fight since his fifth-round knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024. AJ will have spent 15 months out of the ring by the time fight night arrives, which is the longest hiatus he has ever had in boxing, over amateur and professional.
Aged 36, AJ is former two-time unified world heavyweight champion and will be the hardest test of the YouTuber's professional boxing career, which began in January 2020.
28-year-old Paul has built up a 12-1 record by fighting smaller, inactive opponents, such as Julio Cesar Chavez, who had fought just once in 32 months, and Mike Tyson, who retired 20 years ago in 2005.
From Ohio, America, Paul's other opponents have been MMA fighters. The only time that Paul challenged an active professional boxer, he was defeated, via split decision by Tommy Fury.
Despite this, ‘The Problem Child’ is confident he will upset the odds, “I know I will f***ing beat Anthony Joshua’s ass. He doesn’t have a chin and he has no skill and he is stiff.”
He added, “This isn't an AI simulation. This is Judgment Day. 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.”
AJ had his say, "Jake or anyone can get this work. No mercy.
"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."
According to reports, Joshua is set to pocket at least £40 million for this eight-round bout, meaning he will get paid £5 million per three-minute round.
