Jake Paul, Anthony Joshua Preview: What to Know Ahead of Friday’s Heavyweight Bout

Tuesday marked the retirement of, arguably, the best boxer in the world, as Terence Crawford announced he’s hanging up the gloves as the sport’s only ever three-division undisputed champion.

However, Friday will mark the return to the ring of, arguably, the sport’s biggest name in Jake Paul. The internet personality, influencer, and YouTuber will step back into the squared circle and face the biggest challenge—both literally and figuratively—of his career as he goes toe-to-toe with former two-time heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua.

To date, Paul (12–1, 7 KOs) has feasted on the likes of crossover athletes like former NBA player Nate Robinson and former UFC fighter Tyron Woodley. Additional opponents of his have been journeymen boxers like Andre August and Ryan Bourland, or way-past-their-prime legit pugilists such as Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Mike Tyson. Thus, fighting someone like the 36-year-old Joshua (28–4, 25 KOs), who fought for a major world heavyweight title as recently as 2024, is a huge step up in competition for Paul.

This is also just the second heavyweight bout for Paul, following his fight with Tyson, although there is a weight clause in Joshua’s contract. The British boxer weighed in at least 250 pounds in each of his last four fights, but he’ll be restricted to 245 pounds for Friday’s bout. Other rules for Jake Paul versus Anthony Joshua include 10-ounce gloves and there being eight 3-minute rounds for what will be a sanctioned, professional fight that will go on both parties’ records.

For what it’s worth, Paul is ranked as the No. 15 cruiserweight in the world by the World Boxing Association (WBA). Meanwhile, Joshua is ranked in the top 10 heavyweights by both the WBC and WBO. The former has won six bouts in a row, with the last two coming by unanimous decision, which followed a three-fight knockout streak. In his last fight versus Cesar Chavez Jr. in June, Paul outdueled the former WBC middleweight champ in Anaheim, California, at a weight of 199 pounds. His heaviest was 227 pounds for the Tyson fight, which was just prior, and Paul has stated he plans on being between 218 and 220 pounds for Joshua.

The only blemish on Paul’s career came versus Tommy Fury, the younger brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury, in February 2023. Coincidentally, Tommy Fury is the only in-his-prime legitimate boxer that Paul has faced, and lost to, which is why he’s such a huge underdog for someone of an even higher caliber in Joshua.

As for Joshua, he began his career with a 24–1 record but is 4–3 over his last seven bouts. In September 2021, he lost his unified heavyweight titles to Oleksandr Usyk and then lost the rematch a year later. Joshua then went on a four-fight win streak to get back into contender status. However, he then lost his championship match for the IBF title in September 2024 to Daniel Dubois.

While Paul’s lone loss came via decision, Joshua has shown a susceptible chin, which could be Paul’s easiest path to an upset victory. Of Joshua’s four defeats, two have come via knockout, including in his last versus Dubois. Though, it’s worth noting that the two men who knocked Joshua out both weighed at least 250 pounds, while the slimmer Paul packs much less punching power.

As for Joshua’s punching power, it’s his biggest strength, as he boasts an 89 percent knockout rate—25 of 28 wins via KO. He also has the obvious tale of the tape advantage, and not just with the size and weight edge. Joshua stands 6-foot-6, while Paul is 6-foot-1, and the Brit owns a six-inch reach advantage over his foe. Joshua also has over twice as many professional rounds under his belt (167) as Paul (70). Just about the only advantage that Paul has on his side is youth, as the 28-year-old is eight years younger than his 36-year-old opponent.

Every big boxing fight gets its own nickname, and Jake Paul versus Anthony Joshua is being billed as “Judgment Day.” That moniker would seem to be more fitting for Paul and his boxing journey as a victory would, undoubtedly, legitimize him in the eyes of those who still doubt him.

As for Joshua, there seems to be little upside—outside of the obvious financial one—to this fight. If he wins, as expected, then he simply defeated a “celebrity boxer,” but if he loses, then his reputation would take a huge hit. It would be extremely hard to see Joshua earning another title shot at some point if he’s beaten by a much smaller, less experienced cruiserweight stepping up in weight class.

A fight on the undercard of Jake Paul versus Anthony Joshua will see two former UFC champions—who both lost to Paul in the boxing ring—face one another as Anderson Silva takes on Woodley. It will be a six-round bout at a catchweight of 195 pounds and features two fighters who have seen much better days. Silva is 50 years old and prevailed in just one of his last nine MMA fights, while Woodley has lost six straight fights in both MMA and boxing combined.

Jake Paul versus Anthony Joshua will take place on Dec. 19, from the Kaseya Center in Miami. It will be Joshua’s second pro fight in North America; he lost the first to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019 in New York City. The main card will begin at 8 p.m. ET, with the approximate time of the main event coming at 10:30 p.m. ET. The fight will be streamed on Netflix.