Anthony Joshua, a 6-foot-6, 243-pound, two-time heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medallist, sits in one corner. Joshua has one of the strongest punches in boxing. Jake Paul, a 6-1, 216-pound YouTube personality, is in the opposite corner. Paul’s only heavyweight bout was with a 58-year-old.
Who is the public betting on?
Paul, a 7-1 underdog, had drawn 90% of the money and 82% of the wagers placed at DraftKings on the outcome of Friday’s official bout in Miami, Florida. A Paul upset, according to DraftKings, would cost the sportsbook almost to $100 million as of Thursday night.
Joshua was a -1200 favorite going into Friday, so wagerers would have to risk $1,200 to have a chance to earn a net $100. The battle was going toward becoming one of the most highly bet boxing contests of the year at bookmakers, despite the fact that few bettors had been willing to lay such a large price.
Because of the high cost, Brandon Yaeger, who is in charge of combat sports at Caesars Sportsbook, predicted that the total amount wagered on the Paul-Joshua bout will be less than what was wagered when Paul faced 58-year-old Mike Tyson in November 2024.
