YouTube star Jake Paul will step into the ring with British heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua in a highly anticipated (and highly criticised) boxing event.
The event in Florida marks the end of a 14-month hiatus for Joshua, 36, while for 28-year-old Paul it will be the biggest and potentially most dangerous fight since his boxing career began in 2020.
Here’s everything you need to know, from timings to who’s on the undercard and how to watch it.
The event is taking place on Friday 19 December at the Kaseya Center in Miami – but the time difference means it will be early on Saturday 20 December for viewers in the UK.
It is due to begin around 8pm local time, meaning for those in the UK, the main event will start at 1am.
Ringwalks for Paul and Joshua are scheduled for 10.30pm local time, which will be 3.30am in the UK.
Once in the ring, the fight will consist of eight three-minute rounds.
• Alycia Baumgardner v Leila Beaudoin – unified super-featherweight world championship
• Anderson Silva v Tyron Woodley – six-round cruiserweight
• Jahmal Harvey v Kevin Cervantes – six-round super-featherweight
Preliminary fights, which start from 4.45pm local time and 9.45pm UK time include:
• Cherneka Johnson v Amanda Galle – undisputed bantamweight championship
• Caroline Dubois v Camila Panatta – WBC lightweight world championship
• Yokasta Valle v Yadira Bustillos – WBC strawweight world championship
• Avious Griffin v Justin Cardona – welterweight
• Keno Marley v Diarra Davis Jr – cruiserweight
The main event will stream live on Netflix with no additional purchase or pay-per-view needed.
All that’s required is a subscription to the streaming service.
Joshua, Britain’s two-time world heavyweight champion, will boast an almost two-stone advantage over Paul, who has regularly fought at cruiserweight since he entered the world of boxing.
At the official weigh-in on 18 December, Joshua came in at 17st 5lbs (243.4lbs) to Paul’s 15st 6lbs (216lbs) – a hefty 26.8lbs difference.
Joshua, who could not weigh more than 245Ibs, is the lightest he has been since his first fight against Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021 when he was 240lbs.
It is also only the second time that Paul has weighed in over cruiserweight limit – the other time was when he fought 58-year-old Mike Tyson.
“I’m going to outclass this kid, I’m just going to outclass him,” Joshua said at the event in Miami, shrugging off confrontation as the pair raised their fists to each other.
“I’m a serious fighter, that’s the difference, I’m a serious, serious fighter.”
Paul yelled that he was “dialled in” as he flexed his muscles on stage. He said he had told Joshua he smelled fear.
“I see something in his eyes, I truly do,” he said.
“The pressure is on him. I’m fighting free, I’ve already won. This is a lose-lose situation for him.”
Given Paul’s 13-fight career consists mainly of former UFC stars or faded boxing greats, this contest and Joshua’s involvement has sparked a backlash in the boxing world.
One of those to speak out was Tyson Fury, the British former world champion who fans want to take on Joshua in a heavyweight battle.
In a post on social media Fury called Joshua a “classless loser” for agreeing to fight Paul.
“He’s a 37-year-old at the end of his career fighting a YouTuber, a Disney Channel guy who Tommy (Fury) beat,” he said.
“You are a classless loser coming off a 15-month knockout defeat to a local lad. Imagine if someone from Morecambe knocked me out.”
Equally, Paul’s career and past fights have been criticised, particularly his win over boxing veteran Mike Tyson in November last year.
Amid widespread speculation the fight was rigged, Paul’s promotions company was forced to issue a statement, labelling rumours as “incorrect and baseless”.
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The odds at the time of writing put Paul at roughly a 10% chance of winning, according to Oddschecker, with Joshua at an 88.9% chance and 2.8% for a draw.
However, to prepare for the showdown, Paul has been sparring with some top heavyweight contenders, including former world champion Lawrence Okolie.
Okolie, who has won world titles at cruiserweight and bridgerweight, admitted he was surprised by Paul’s boxing skills after spending a training camp with him.
He told Sky Sports News: “He’s way better now than when I first saw him. Genuinely I was scared for him when they said he was going to fight AJ.
“If he boxes how he sparred, he’s got a good chance of looking really good.
“Jake is a lot better than I thought. I think he’s got a very good boxing brain, good application, and good grit.”
