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Anthony Joshua’s headline-grabbing heavyweight bout with Jake Paul has been confirmed for Friday, December 19 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, with the fight set to stream live on Netflix.
Daily Mail Sport understands the fight will carry a £140million prize pot with an even split between the two-time heavyweight world champion and the 28-year-old YouTuber, who has a record of 12 wins and one loss - against Tommy Fury - since moving into boxing.
The fight, six days before Christmas, marks the first fight for Joshua, 36, since he was crushed by Daniel Dubois 14 months ago
Paul had originally been scheduled to take on Gervonta 'Tank' Davis at the same venue on November 14, but that event was cancelled following Davis’ arrest.
The world lightweight champion was accused of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping and intentional infliction of emotional distress. The allegations resulted in the cancellation of the planned 195lb exhibition, prompting the YouTuber-turned-boxer to seek a new opponent for a rearranged December date.
Anthony Joshua's headline grabbing heavyweight fight with Jake Paul has been confirmed
Eddie Hearn claimed Joshua was seeking a tune-up fight but the lucrative offer on the table for a fight with Paul convinced him to prioritise those negotiations
The fight with Paul (pictured with brother Logan) will be a full professional contest and will air on Netflix, with DAZN heavily compensated to allow Joshua to compete on a rival platform
Paul’s opponent has now been confirmed as former unified heavyweight world champion, Joshua.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn had previously indicated that Joshua was seeking a tune-up fight after his defeat to Daniel Dubois at Wembley.
He said AJ had been lining up a top-100 opponent for November, but the lucrative offer on the table for a fight with Paul convinced him to prioritise those negotiations instead.
Hearn also outlined a longer-term plan for Joshua to have one or two more bouts before a potential showdown with Tyson Fury in 2026 - an event Turki Alalshikh has publicly expressed interest in delivering.
Joshua has already agreed to terms for the Fury fight, though it remains unclear whether Fury, currently claiming to be retired, has done the same.
Alalshikh hinted that progress was being made when he appeared on DAZN’s broadcast of the Chris Eubank Jr vs. Conor Benn rematch.
Hearn confirmed that Joshua’s clash with Paul will be a full professional contest fought at heavyweight under Queensberry rules, not an exhibition.
It has also been confirmed that the bout will air on Netflix despite Joshua’s long-standing exclusive deal with DAZN.
According to reports, DAZN was compensated heavily to allow Joshua to compete on a rival platform.
A press conference for the fight between Paul and AJ is due to take place in Miami on Friday afternoon.
