Boxing
Paul vs. Joshua: Everything you need to know about the boxing match
Published
4 months agoon
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?
2:46
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.
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Boxing
Swiss No. 1 Seifeddine Letaief challenges rival Arbnor Jashari
Published
2 minutes agoon
March 10, 2026
Swiss lightweight Seifeddine Letaief told World Boxing News he is ready to settle his growing ring rivalry with fellow undefeated fighter Arbnor Jashari.
Letaief is currently in first place in the Swiss rankings for his division, while Jashari is in second place, which is a natural matchup between the two undefeated fighters.
A meeting between the pair would pit the two highest-ranked lightweights in the country against each other.
Tensions escalated with exchanges on social media, FaceTime calls about a potential fight and exchanges of words.
According to Letaief, the rivalry even escalated to the point that Jashari tried to involve the SwissBoxing committee.
“At one point he even tried to block me from SwissBoxing, claiming that I had humiliated him on social media,” Letaief told World Boxing News.
Swiss competition
Letaief insists that from his point of view the situation is plain. The undefeated lightweight says he is ready to fight and believes the fight should happen now rather than later.
“I’m ready to fight and decide everything in the ring,” he explained.
SwissBoxing has suggested waiting until both fighters have built bigger physiques before moving on to staging the fight, but Letaief believes the circumstances already make it an attractive fight for the local scene.
The clash between the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the country, combined with the rivalry between Zurich and Basel, may arouse great interest in Switzerland.
Unbroken records
Letaief, 23, turned professional in September 2024 and has compiled an undefeated record of 6-0, including two knockouts. He lives in Winterthur and has fought several times in the Zurich region, establishing himself as one of the country’s emerging prospects.
Meanwhile, Jashari has had a slightly longer professional career. The 25-year-old made his debut in April 2022 and has a 7-0 record, which includes two knockouts.
Both fighters also share a common opponent, Lasha Giorgi Vardiashvili, and each of them scored a six-round decision victory in 2025.
For now, the fight that many in the Swiss boxing community want to see remains unsigned, and Letaief has made it clear he is ready to move forward as soon as the opportunity arises.
“Despite all these talks, the fight has still not been decided. For me, the matter is plain: I am ready to fight and decide everything in the ring. I believe that this fight must take place now,” Letaief concluded.
About the author
Phil Jay is the editor-in-chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a boxing veteran with over 15 years of experience. Read the full biography.
Boxing
Oleksandr Usyk announces the list of his last three opponents and confirms that he will then retire
Published
1 hour agoon
March 10, 2026
Oleksandr Usyk still has three fights left and hopes to extend his record to 27-0 before hanging up his gloves for good.
The elite Ukrainian was undisputed at cruiserweight before repeating the feat twice at heavyweight. In both divisions, he has victories over Murat Gassiew, Mairis Briedis, Anthony Joshua and Tyson Fury.
I keep talking Inside the RingUsyk assured fans that while this fight may not be at the elite level he is known for, his last two fights will be.
“Rico, this is the first one. Second, Wardley-Dubois wins. The third fight is my friend Greedy Belly, Tyson Fury.”
When asked how much time he had left, Usyk confirmed that he was three years aged and had not played.
Fabio Wardley rose from interim to full WBO champion when Usyk vacated the belt last year, and he puts that status on the line against Dubois on May 9 in Manchester. If “DDD” wins tonight, Usyk’s last two scheduled fights could be trilogy fights.
The 39-year-old from Simferopol defeated Dubois and Fury twice, stopping the former in both cases and the latter on points. Fan interest in the fights may therefore be circumscribed.
However, if Wardley manages to remain with the organization in two months’ time, many would like to see the Ipswich fighter team up with the Usyk fighter who has established himself as the greatest heavyweight of a generation.
Whether this would be an uncontested fight seems unlikely. Although Usyk’s WBC belt in the match with Verhoeven is controversial, the IBF and WBA have not commented on this fight yet.
Moreover, the WBC has ordered Usyk to face Agit Kabayel next, which is clearly not in his plans. This means that it may be stripped of all three lanes in the near future.
“I just want to fight in Dublin to finish my career. Of course we’re still hoping for Croke Park, holding on to a little bit of hope that it will happen,” Taylor told RTE.
“Fighting my last fight in our most iconic arena. How special would that be? I think it would be absolutely extraordinary if I was able to do it. I’m not sure if it will happen or not. Either way, I will end my career here and I’m very excited about that.”
Taylor has only fought twice in Ireland as a professional, both fights will take place in 2023 against Chantelle Cameron at the 3Arena in Dublin. Cameron won her first fight by majority decision, handing Taylor the only defeat of her career, before Taylor regained the undisputed junior welterweight championship six months later in a rematch.
The 38-year-old Irish star remains one of the greatest fighters in women’s boxing history. Taylor won Olympic gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics before turning professional and quickly winning world titles in two categories. In 2019, she became the undisputed lightweight champion and later repeated the feat at 140 pounds.
Much of Taylor’s recent profile has been built on her rivalry with Amanda Serrano. Their first fight at Madison Square Garden in 2022 was widely celebrated and helped augment the visibility of women’s boxing. Taylor later completed the trilogy by majority vote in July, increasing her record to 25-1 (6 KO).
The possibility of saying goodbye to the stadium became the subject of interest for its long-time promoter. Hearn admitted it would take significant work to turn the idea into reality, but he believes this moment will be historic for Irish sport.
“It’s a hell of a lot of work to make sure one of the greatest athletes of all time fulfills her biggest dream. And I have to deliver Croke Park. I have to,” Hearn said on The Ariel Helwani Show.
“If I don’t give it my all, if I don’t put in every effort to make it happen, I won’t do justice to Katie and I won’t do it to myself. Because it would be the biggest sporting event in Irish history.”
Hearn said talks with Croke Park officials had taken place previously and had resumed as Taylor’s career came to an end.
“There is more momentum this time,” he said.
No opponent has been determined for Taylor’s last fight. Hearn said the focus remains on determining whether the stadium plan can be secured before making any player selections.
“Obviously you want to have an opponent who is compelling, competitive and has a story behind it,” Hearn said. “Nothing has really been discussed or said about the opponent. We are really trying to ensure that discussions with Croke Park allow for that possibility before we pursue it further.”
Olly Campbell is a boxing journalist covering this sport since 2014, providing reports from the ring and technical analyzes of the most crucial fights. His work focuses on fighter tendencies, tactical adjustments and the details that shape high-level competition.
Swiss No. 1 Seifeddine Letaief challenges rival Arbnor Jashari
Oleksandr Usyk announces the list of his last three opponents and confirms that he will then retire
Eddie Hearn fights for Katie Taylor in Croke Park
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