Former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is finalizing a deal to fight YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in December in Miami. The bout will be broadcast live on Netflix and represents an unexpected heavyweight showdown between the 36-year-old British star and the 28-year-old influencer-turned-fighter.
The fight emerged after Paul's scheduled bout against lightweight world champion Gervonta Davis was cancelled last week due to domestic violence allegations against Davis. Joshua has not fought since being knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley last September, 13 months ago. For Joshua, the Paul fight serves as a tune-up ahead of a potential clash with rival Tyson Fury next year.
Joshua's promoter Eddie Hearn indicated this week that Paul is the only opponent who would generate significant attention for a fight this year. He said: «We will make a decision this week on Anthony's next fight. If he fights this year, it's just gonna be a... You probably won't even hear about it, unless it's Jake Paul. We'll make that decision this week, but - outside of Jake Paul - if he fought this year, you really wouldn't know about it.»
Weight and Experience Gap
The bout raises questions about weight restrictions. Paul weighed 199.4 pounds in his most recent win against Julio Chavez Jr. in June, while Joshua came in at 252 pounds for the Dubois fight. Paul previously bulked up to 220 pounds for his fight against boxing legend Mike Tyson last November. Paul's business partner Nakisa Bidarian acknowledged in August: «This would be pursued as a straight up professional fight. I think there's certainly an experience gap between the two of them in terms of where they're at in their career.»
Paul broke his silence last week on the Davis cancellation, condemning domestic violence. He said: «If you support this man you support the most vile sin a man can commit. My company champions women. I'm so sorry to everyone involved. Mostly to the undercard fighters, to my team at MVP and to my team who worked so hard prepping for this fight. Sacrificing time with loved ones and kids just for this fool to lose his unintelligent mind again.» Paul had previously called out Joshua earlier this year, and Joshua has stated: «He's good for boxing. He has no amateur background and just jumped straight in. He's learning under pressure, and that will help him evolve quickly.»
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
