Jake Paul will make a huge step up in competition when he faces former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on December 19 at the Kaseya Center in Miami (Netflix). This is a drastic change of gear after Paul was originally scheduled to face WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis in an exhibition fight at the 195-pound catchweight division last Friday. However, Paul’s fight with Davis was canceled on November 3 following a lawsuit filed against Davis by his ex-girlfriend, accusing him of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Paul will face Joshua, an opponent 100 pounds heavier than Davis, in a professionally sanctioned heavyweight boxing match. Unlike his exhibition fight against Davis, Paul won’t have a size advantage to make up for the skill gap. Joshua fights at around 250 pounds, while Paul fights in the cruiserweight limit of 200 pounds. Paul wanted to shock the world and pull off what could be one of the biggest upsets in boxing history.

But how did we get here and what does it all mean?

Why does Paul fight with Joshua?

After Paul’s exhibition with Davis was canceled, the YouTuber-turned-boxer did everything he could to compete before the end of 2025. According to Most Valuable Promotions, Paul’s promotional team, there were talks with several potential opponents before landing Joshua.

Earlier this year, Paul expressed interest in fighting Joshua and included him on his revised hit list, which he recently shared with ESPN. However, the original schedule for the Joshua fight had the two meeting sometime in 2026, after the Davis fight. Paul quickly turned his attention to Joshua, who was sidelined after elbow surgery in June, and the two sides reached an agreement.

Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, told ESPN that Joshua wants to fight one fight in behind schedule 2025 and then plans to fight fellow British heavyweight Tyson Fury in 2026.

Is this an exhibition fight?

NO. The Paul vs. Joshua fight will be a sanctioned heavyweight bout scheduled for eight three-minute rounds. Fighters will also wear 10-ounce gloves, which are standard in heavyweight bouts.

Paul is much closer in weight to Joshua, but now he will have to deal with both the size and skill difference. Joshua – a former Olympic gold medalist and two-time heavyweight champion – weighed from 254 pounds to just 229 pounds during his professional career. Paul’s highest weight during his November 2024 exhibition against former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson was 227¼ pounds. Paul weighed in at 199.4 pounds in his last fight and won against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in June.

Why would Paul want to fight Joshua now?

Stupidity with a hint of delusional self-confidence?

Say what you will about Paul, but he persistently challenges himself even though he is still considered a novice in boxing. Paul faced criticism for his choice of opponents. His career has included MMA fighters, YouTubers, a former NBA dunk champion, boxing journeymen, and a retired heavyweight. In his last fight, Paul fought Chavez, a former middleweight champion who was the closest thing to a “real” boxer, and dominated a fighter whose best days were long behind him.

The last time Joshua was in the ring with a boxing novice, he knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in two rounds in March 2024.

Still, Paul wants to test himself and we’ll see what condition he’ll be in when he steps into the ring with Joshua.

Why would Joshua fight Jake Paul?

Why wouldn’t he do it? It’s a low-risk, high-reward fight, played on a massive stage and streamed worldwide on Netflix. Joshua has faced some of the best heavyweights of his generation and has already been eyeing a fight before the end of 2025. As one of the biggest stars in British boxing history, this fight will also raise his profile in the United States, where he has not fought since his disastrous knockout defeat to Andy Ruiz Jr. at Novel York’s Madison Square Garden in 2019.

The only market Joshua hasn’t cornered is the United States, and facing someone with Paul’s reach will certainly support if he faces Fury in 2026.

How will this affect Joshua’s career?

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Hearn: Only Turki Al-Sheikh can beat Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury

Eddie Hearn talks about a potential fight between Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.

If Joshua does what most think he will do and defeats Paul definitively, his plans for a mega fight with Fury will remain intact. Fury is retired but could be persuaded to return to fight Joshua.

We saw what Joshua did to Ngannou five months after the latter almost pulled off a massive upset in a split decision loss to Fury. It’s unlikely that Joshua will be interested in taking Paul to a thrilling fight. However, with each round Paul survives, Joshua’s stock could take a hit. And if the fight is in any way close, there will be questions about Joshua’s current place in boxing. The last time in the ring in September 2024, he was stopped in five rounds by Daniel Dubois. This can be forgiven given Dubois’s track record in boxing. Competing with the less experienced and smaller Paul did not bode well for his future.

How will this affect Paul’s career?

This is an fascinating question because a highly decorated, hard-hitting heavyweight is expected to categorically beat Paul, and the chances of an upset are high for Paul. This is a fight that Paul should lose and therefore the idea of ​​getting into the ring and surviving could give him a moral victory as long as he is not brutally knocked out early in the fight.

If Paul can somehow find a way to make himself competitive, it will only support enhance his boxing stock. He has already proven that defeat will not completely ruin his career and his massive presence on social media will allow him to lick his wounds and come back, if not more marketable, after gaining the respect of the boxing community that criticized his boxing career.

This is a no-lose situation for Paul as at this point in his career he should never have had the opportunity to step into the ring with the former heavyweight champion. Any time spent on your feet will be a victory. However, if it lands on the wrong end of a knockout in the most critical moments, it will go viral for all the wrong reasons.