YOUTUBER-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul faces the most significant challenge of his professional career Friday night (today, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025, PH time) when he meets former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
The scheduled eight-round bout, which serves as Paul’s 14th professional appearance, will be streamed globally on Netflix, according to an Associated Press report.
While Paul has built a 12-1 record primarily against retired MMA stars and aging veterans, Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) represents a stark jump in active competition. Despite coming off a fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024, the 36-year-old Joshua enters as a heavy favorite.
“The odds are stacked against me,” Paul said during Wednesday’s press conference. “There are no sporting teams in history that have gone together where it’s this big of a difference in terms of skills, experience, resume, height, weight. This is going to be the biggest upset in the history of sport.”
The physical advantages favor Joshua heavily. At 6-foot-6, he stands five inches taller than the 6-1 Paul and holds a six-inch reach advantage (82 inches to 76).
During Thursday’s (Friday in PH) official weigh-in, Joshua tipped the scales at 243 pounds, while Paul weighed in at 216. Most of Paul’s previous experience has occurred at the 200-pound cruiserweight limit.
The 28-year-old Paul’s resume includes wins over former UFC champions Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz, as well as a decision victory over former middleweight titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
He most drew massive commercial attention by defeating a 58-year-old Mike Tyson via unanimous decision last year. That event drew 72,300 fans to AT&T Stadium in Texas and reportedly generated 108 million views worldwide. / LBG