Most Valuable Promotions informed ESPN on Monday that YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul will compete against former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in a professional heavyweight boxing battle on December 19 at Miami’s Kaseya Center.
The boxers will use 10-ounce gloves, as is customary for heavyweight matches, and the bout will consist of eight 3-minute rounds.
Paul, 27, has changed his mind. On November 14, he was supposed to battle WBA lightweight champion Gervonta “Tank” Davis in an exhibition bout. But after Davis was included in a civil case brought by an ex-girlfriend who accused the boxer of kidnapping, false detention, aggravated violence, and deliberate infliction of emotional distress, the fight was called off.
Paul will now compete in a sanctioned professional boxing bout against a two-time heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medallist who has fought as high as 256 pounds, more than 100 pounds heavier than Davis, rather than an exhibition versus a hard-hitting pro boxer who campaigned at 130 pounds. Although Paul weighed 227.25 pounds for his heavyweight exhibition bout with Mike Tyson in 2024, he has mostly competed as a cruiserweight with a 200-pound weight limit.
Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) has only boxed 70 rounds as a professional since 2020 and has no noteworthy amateur background, making him a newbie in the sport. Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs), one of the hardest-hitting and most decorated heavyweights in the world with over 160 rounds boxed in his 12 years as a professional, will be a huge step up from MMA fighters and journeyman boxers.
