Anthony Joshua is preparing for one of the most surprising matchups of his career — a December fight against Jake Paul that’s expected to headline a major Netflix broadcast.
The event is being lined up for Miami, with December 19 or December 26 targeted as possible dates. Negotiations are nearly complete, and Netflix is expected to officially announce the bout on Monday.
The streaming platform has been pushing deeper into live combat sports after the enormous success of Jake Paul’s 2024 fight with Mike Tyson, which drew record-breaking viewership worldwide.
Joshua’s Comeback and Paul’s Rise
Joshua, 36, last fought in September 2024, when he suffered a knockout loss to Daniel Dubois after being dropped several times in a stunning upset. Despite the defeat, the two-time unified heavyweight champion remains one of boxing’s biggest global names, holding a record of 28-4 with 25 knockouts.
Paul, 28, comes into the matchup riding a six-fight win streak, including his victory over Julio César Chávez Sr. in June. Since turning professional in 2020, the YouTube star has gone 12-1 with seven knockouts, developing from a celebrity curiosity into a legitimate pay-per-view attraction.
‼️ Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul are finalizing a deal for a heavyweight fight on Netflix in December in Miami, sources tell The Ring’s Mike Coppinger.
Paul steps up to fight the former heavyweight champion after his exhibition with Gervonta Davis was cancelled. pic.twitter.com/TEVZUAk3m9
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) November 12, 2025
A Massive Size and Experience Gap
The fight will pit very different athletes against each other. Joshua, who stands 6-foot-6 and fights near 250 pounds, will tower over the 6-foot-1 Paul, who usually competes around 200 pounds in the cruiserweight range.
Paul fought once as a heavyweight, defeating Mike Tyson by decision after both weighed roughly 227 pounds — but facing Joshua represents a major leap in danger and experience.
Joshua, a 2012 Olympic gold medalist, previously unified the heavyweight titles between 2017 and 2021 before losing to Oleksandr Usyk twice. He later scored a brutal knockout over Francis Ngannou in early 2024 before the Dubois setback.
Paul Rebounds After Scrapped Gervonta Davis Fight
This matchup materialized after Paul’s previously scheduled bout against Gervonta Davis was canceled. Davis was removed from the card amid legal issues tied to domestic violence allegations, forcing Paul’s team and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) to find a new headline opponent.
Following the fallout, MVP’s Nakisa Bidarian confirmed the group remained committed to a Netflix main event before the end of 2025. Talks with other stars — including Ryan Garcia and Terence Crawford — eventually led to serious negotiations with Joshua and promoter Eddie Hearn, who had been seeking a late-year return for the British star.
Netflix is expected to stream the fight globally, marking another milestone in its sports expansion. The platform’s Paul vs Tyson broadcast became its most-viewed live event ever, reaching more than 100 million viewers worldwide and topping platform charts in over 70 countries.
With the Joshua bout, Netflix aims to repeat that success — this time with a heavyweight showdown that blends star power, spectacle, and global intrigue.
