‘Knock his head off’: Jake Paul will fight Anthony Joshua next month, but there’s a catch
Two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua has made a staggering promise ahead of his bout with former YouTuber Jake Paul.
It is not April fool’s Day, apparently it’s Judgement Day.
That is according to prankster-turned-prize-fighter Jake Paul after announcing his shock December 19 bout against Anthony Joshua.
It will be streamed on Netflix – without a pay-per-view fee – from the Kaseya Center in Miami.
The announcement produced more questions than answers, so here SunSport breaks down the ins and outs of the fight.
Why is the fight happening?
Well, besides huge amounts of money (maybe up to $A100 million each) Paul is in need of a big-named opponent worthy of Netflix.
He was due to fight Gervonta Davis until the American was pulled out of their November 14 exhibition amid accusations of domestic abuse.
Davis’ ex-girlfriend filed a civil suit alleging battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
So Paul’s camp and Netflix went on the look for a new opponent, approaching several names including Ryan Garcia and Terence Crawford.
AJ’s promoter Eddie Hearn put Joshua’s name forward – after all they were looking to for a late-notice return bout in December themselves.
And following a period of negotiations, the shock terms were agreed with only a few pointers needing to be ironed out.
What are the rules?
Amazingly, nothing too out of the ordinary.
It will be a professionally-sanctioned heavyweight fight over eight, three-minute rounds with 10oz gloves to be worn and records on the line.
The rules were bent slightly when Mike Tyson made a controversial comeback at the age of 58 to fight Paul.
Tyson lost a laboured decision over eight shorter rounds of two minutes in bigger 12oz gloves.
But Paul has refused those concessions after bravely – or stupidly – agreeing to fight Joshua under regular boxing rules.
The only stipulation AJ has agreed to is limiting his fight weight to 245lb – 5lb less than his last fight against Daniel Dubois.
Won’t AJ knock his head off?
Almost certainly, yes. Anything else would raise huge alarm bells.
Joshua brutally knocked out ex-UFC champion Francis Ngannou in 2024 – a man used to taking knees and elbows to the dome.
And AJ has already warned he will not be messing around with Paul – who first made his name as a pantomime social media villain before finding boxing.
Joshua, 36, said: “Jake or anyone can get this work. No mercy. I took some time out and I’m coming back with a mega show.
“It’s a big opportunity for me. Whether you like it or not, I’m here to do massive numbers, have big fights and break every record while keeping cool, calm and collected.
“Mark my words, you’ll see a lot more fighters take these opportunities in the future. I’m about to break the internet over Jake Paul’s face.”
What is there to gain?
For both men, different things.
Joshua is a superstar in Britain on par with the country’s most recognisable faces – but it’s a different story across the pond.
He struggled to sell out New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden for his 2019 fight with Andy Ruiz Jr – which ended in a disastrous defeat.
Flattening Paul on Netflix – which has over 300m subscribers – and doing what most consider a favour to the boxing fraternity would make AJ a hero globally overnight.
He will also piggyback off the streaming service’s casual audience and Paul’s millions of adoring fans.
It is in part why DAZN – who have an exclusive deal with AJ – are willing to let their top talent sneak off to a rival platform.
With Joshua planning to fight on afterwards – with DAZN invested in his future – there is hope AJ will do so with an all-new set of fans and followers.
For Paul meanwhile, he finally gets the credit he has been searching for as a boxer.
Despite modest wins over past-it MMA stars, undersized and out-of-their-prime boxers, Paul’s record has largely been ridiculed.
Barring his lone loss in the ring to Tyson Fury’s brother Tommy in 2023 – which he is yet to avenge – Paul has been accused of fighting older and smaller men.
Joshua is more experienced, far bigger and still actively competing – boxes that so far have not been ticked.
Even Paul’s starkest critics have to commend his courage and delusion in taking on AJ – despite the millions he will make for it.
What is the plan after this?
Business as usual for Joshua.
It is no surprise Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh revealed last weekend that Joshua will fight in Riyadh in February before a blockbuster in London in September.
Likely knowing the Paul announcement was coming, Alalshikh made it clear Joshua is still being lined up for a super-fight with Fury.
And we understand his two-bout plan will not be affected by the Paul pit stop.
For Paul, his future depends on the outcome of the fight.
If he is truly beaten in devastating fashion, he could call it a day having made well over £100m in his short five years in the sport.
But if – like expected – Joshua knocks him out before he even knows it – Paul could dust himself off and return with respect money can’t buy.
Alternatively, if the unthinkable happens and stuns Joshua into a defeat, Paul would have pulled off the most remarkable upset in boxing history.
This article was originally published in The Sun and is reproduced with permission.
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