Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua is now an official fight for Dec. 19 from Miami’s Kaseya Center. The home court of the NBA’s Miami Heat serves as the setting for one of the last fights to take place on the schedule for 2025.
Monday’s official announcement of the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua bout in South Beach brings an end to marathon speculation over who Paul might fight next in the boxing ring. Paul was supposed to have fought last weekend in an exhibition appearance versus Gervonta Davis.
On Nov. 3, however, the exhibition was confirmed to be canceled. Gervonta Davis was named in a civil suit brought on by his ex-girlfriend, who accused him of false imprisonment, simple battery, aggravated battery, and causing emotional distress.
Embed from Getty Images
MVP Cancels Davis Exhibition, Leading to Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua
In announcing the cancellation of the exhibition contest on Nov. 3, Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions mentioned the following:
“Our team has worked closely with all parties to navigate this situation responsibly. While we will be not moving forward with this event, our plan still remains for Jake Paul to headline an event on Netflix in 2025.”
Headline, he will. Six days before the Christmas holiday, boxing fans will either get an early present underneath their evergreen trees or an early lump of coal in their stockings, depending upon their opinions of “The Problem Child,” in the form of Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua on Netflix.
Unlike the postponed fight against Gervonta Davis on Nov. 14 in Miami, this contest will actually count in the professional records of both men. According to the rules of the fight for Dec. 19 at Kaseya Center, this contest will be an eight-round bout at three minutes per round in the heavyweight division.
Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua Might Work Better for Paul Dec. 19
While Jake Paul vs. Gervonta Davis was scheduled to be an exhibition contest last weekend before it was canceled, the now-scrubbed fight was the target of disdain for fans of The Sweet Science. Had the Davis fight went ahead, it would have happened under a number of stipulations, including a 10-round length at three minutes apiece, a maximum allowable weight of 195 lbs ahead of the fight, and a condition that both contestants wear 12-oz gloves.
In addition, had Paul vs. Davis been held, although it would have been an exhibition, judges would have scored the fight and named a victor. On Dec. 19 in the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua contest, both fighters will be wearing 10-oz gloves, which is what Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) normally wears in the ring.
Thus, this fight could be the better move for “The Problem Child” when compared with the cancelled exhibition against Davis.
Sizing Up Anthony Joshua
Ahead of the Dec. 19 contest vs. Paul, Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) is 4-1 in his last five trips to the squared circle, but by the time fight night rolls around, it will have been just about 15 months since his last bout. In September of last year, Joshua failed in his bid to secure the IBF World Heavyweight Championship, sustaining a fifth-round knockout loss at the hands of Daniel Dubois (22-3, 21 KOs) inside Wembley Stadium.
Joshua’s undoubtedly got some ring rust heading into the Jake Paul fight on Dec. 19. In addition, Father Time is not on his side. Anthony Joshua is 36 years of age, while Paul is eight years the junior at 28.
Will the time off and age contribute to Anthony Joshua’s undoing? Mark Dec. 19 on your calendar and watch the fight to find out.
Examining “The Problem Child”, Jake Paul
Paul has won 12 out of his 13 pro contests since his debut nearly six years ago. “The Problem Child” has had an active stretch since the start of 2024, fighting four times in the last 17 months, winning all four bouts.
Earlier this year, Jake Paul secured a unanimous decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (54-7-1, 34 KOs) inside Honda Center in Anaheim after 10 rounds of action. This young man, love him or hate him, has proven himself to be a dominant force in the squared circle on any given night.
Will he cap the year with a seventh straight victory in his current streak? Only time will tell.
Paul is Here to Stay
Jake Paul, much like any other combat athlete, has his fans and his haters. While it’s no doubt fashionable to hate on Jake Paul for who he is, you can’t deny that he’s making waves in his boxing career.
He’s put himself, at least on paper, into a better position than would have been afforded to him in the scrubbed Gervonta Davis exhibition. Paul is not going anywhere, no matter how much some people would like him to just leave the scene and fade into obscurity.
Even though some may think his fight against Anthony Joshua is going to be the night boxing dies, chew on this: There were people saying that the Conor McGregor vs. Floyd Mayweather fight in 2017 would be boxing’s death knell, and they were wrong then, too. While some people may think that Jake Paul is the ringmaster of the crazy circus known as boxing in the new 20’s, no matter what the opinion is, he’s been on a wild ride of late, and this is the next stop.
