Jake Paul, the YouTuber turned boxer, will face two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on Friday night at Miami’s Kaseya Center in an eight-round bout streamed on Netflix.
The Big Matchup
The 36-year-old Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) has not fought since September 2024, when he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois in five rounds, and he is the prohibitive favorite to derail Paul’s ambitious fight plans. The scheduled bout will be streamed on Netflix without the pay-per-view designation.
Paul will fight Joshua on Friday night at the Kaseya Center, home of the NBA’s Miami Heat. The eight-round fight will be broadcast on Netflix.
Paul’s Background and Record
The 28-year-old Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) has built his professional record through unconventional methods. He has victories over retired UFC champions Anderson Silva and Nate Díaz and also won a convincing decision against former middleweight titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Paul’s ability to entice 58-year-old Mike Tyson to fight him last year further enhanced the circus-like atmosphere that often defines his bouts. Yet, the bout against legendary heavyweight champion, which Paul won by unanimous decision, attracted 72,300 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The fight also generated a reported 108 million global views.
“The odds are stacked against me,” Paul said Wednesday in the fighters’ final media appearance before the bout. “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 and you guys get to witness it.”
For all the followers Paul has won through his social media platforms, he acknowledges there are detractors who view him as an insult to the sport and the fighters who have traveled the arduous trek toward contention and championship opportunities.
“No one has done more for the sport of boxing in the past decade than myself,” said Paul, who also has formed his promotional company that will oversee Friday’s nine-bout card. “I think if people really cared about boxing they’d want me to win. I see the angle that they’re coming from – that (Joshua’s) the traditional boxer, that he’s been doing it for his whole life. But I think I’m more important for the sport of boxing. If they actually cared about the sport, they’d want me to win.”
Joshua’s Perspective
Joshua, who also won an Olympic gold medal representing his native England in the 2012 Summer Games, understands his perceived role as a boxing savior against Paul. “It just seems I’ve been called in to save the purest of boxing,” Joshua said. “People don’t like the fact that I’m fighting Jake. Whether that concerns me or not is another question. If we look at the people that don’t want me to be here, they want me to put an end to the Jake Paul show. That’s why I have to carry boxing on my back with this fight.”
Joshua’s bout against Paul will be his second in the United States. And Joshua wants to leave the ring Friday with a better outcome than in his debut, when Andy Ruiz Jr. knocked him out in seven rounds to end his first heavyweight reign six years ago at Madison Square Garden.
“It was a tragedy. It was a loss,” Joshua said of his first professional defeat. “But if you’re in sports, it may happen. You may take some losses but the goal is to bounce back. Through tragedy there can always be a great story. This is just part of what my life is.”
Key Takeaways
- Jake Paul will face Anthony Joshua in an eight-round bout streamed on Netflix at Miami’s Kaseya Center.
- Joshua, 36, is the heavy favorite after a 28-4 record and a recent knockout loss to Daniel Dubois.
- Paul, 28, has a 12-1 record with notable wins over former UFC champions and a fight against Mike Tyson that drew 72,300 spectators and 108 million views.
The clash promises to be a spectacle, with a veteran champion facing a controversial newcomer who has built a massive following on social media. Fans and critics alike will watch Friday’s fight to see whether Paul’s bold challenge can alter the trajectory of modern boxing or reaffirm Joshua’s status as the sport’s top heavyweight.
