Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul Fight Rules Confirmed as Netflix Issue Statement

Anthony Joshua is set to face Jake Paul in a heavyweight bout in Miami, Florida, live on Netflix on December 19.

Joshua, 36, has previously been the unified heavyweight champion of the world on two separate occasions but has not fought since sustaining a devastating knockout defeat against fellow Brit Daniel Dubois in September 2024.

Meanwhile, Paul, 28, defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. by unanimous decision last time out in June of this year.

The American has previously fought and defeated an array of big names, including Mike Tyson, Nate Diaz, and Mike Perry, while sustaining his only professional loss against Tommy Fury, brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson.

The so-called ‘Problem Child’ was due to fight lightweight world champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis on November 14, but the fight was cancelled after Davis was accused of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and intentional infliction of emotional distress by his ex-partner.

Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions announced shortly after the allegations that the bout “would no longer be moving forward”.

Several names were rumoured to step in, such as Ryan Garcia, Terence Crawford, and Francis Ngannou, but it is Joshua who will face Paul at the Kaseya Centre in Miami, Florida, on December 19.

The bout will be classed as a professional contest despite rumours that it could be an exhibition. As reported by Pro Boxing Fans, the fight will be over eight three-minute rounds with the fighters set to use 10oz gloves. The traditional championship distance is 12 three-minute rounds.

The highest number of rounds Paul has boxed in a fight previously was 10 rounds against both Diaz and Chavez.

2012 Olympic gold medallist 'AJ' has been past the eight-round mark in five of his 32 professional bouts.

The duo are set to be paid handsomely for their efforts, with reports from the Mail suggesting the plan is a 50-50 split with both fighters in line to pocket £70 million.

In terms of weight, generally, Paul has campaigned below the 200-pound cruiserweight limit - although he weighed in at 227.25 pounds for his heavyweight exhibition fight with Tyson last year.

As for Joshua, he has tipped the scales above 250 pounds throughout his career. The Brit also stands at six feet six inches, while Paul is six feet one.

Speaking to Netflix, Paul promised to put Joshua "to sleep".

"A professional heavyweight fight against an elite world champion in his prime," Paul said. "When I beat Anthony Joshua, every doubt disappears, and no one can deny me the opportunity to fight for a world title. To all my haters, this is what you wanted. To the people of the United Kingdom, I am sorry. On Friday, December 19, under the lights in Miami, live globally only on Netflix, the torch gets passed and Britain’s Goliath gets put to sleep."

Meanwhile, Joshua claimed that he is "going to break the internet all over Jake Paul's face" before suggesting that similar crossovers could happen in the future.

"Whether you like it or not, I’m here to do massive numbers, have big fights and break every record whilst keeping cool, calm and collected," the Brit explained.

"Mark my words, you’ll see a lot more fighters take these opportunities in the future. I’m about to break the internet over Jake Paul’s face.”

Predictions for Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua

Apart from Paul’s camp, most people who know the slightest amount about the sport of boxing have predicted a definitive Joshua victory.

British heavyweight Derek Chisora explained how he expects Joshua to “kill Paul”, however Fury claimed that he expects Paul to knock Joshua out when speaking to Ring Magazine earlier this year.

The self-proclaimed ‘Gypsy King’ described AJ as a “spent force” before going on to compliment Paul’s “heavyweight look”.

“I just think Jake Paul would knock AJ out. I think AJ's a spent force and Jake Paul's on the rise, and I like his new heavyweight look - a bit chubby and a bit bulky,” Fury said.

"And he just did a great job over the ageing Chavez Jr, who was a middleweight, but still. I like how Jake Paul calls out the full spectrum from featherweight to heavyweight. That's what you call Richter scale call-outs."