Anthony Joshua reportedly has 50 million reasons why he’s fighting Jake Paul on Netflix

The heavyweight fight is happening Dec. 19 on Netflix

On paper, it should be a mismatch. Jake Paul, a YouTuber-turned-boxer who has fought individuals either past their prime or not considered “elite” competition, versus Anthony Joshua, a former multiple-time heavyweight champion and an Olympic gold medalist. 

But, similar to Paul’s fight vs. Mike Tyson last November, the event is legitimate. It is real, and it is happening at the Kaseya Center in Miami on December 19. The bout will be eight rounds, each lasting three minutes, and each fighter will wear standard 10-ounce gloves. 

Why is Joshua, a fighter who still could contend for the heavyweight title, stepping “down” in competition? According to boxing analyst Steve Bunce, it’s all about money and lots of it.

According to the BBC, the estimated purse for the fight is about $50 million. The financial windfall seems right for Joshua, who witnessed the spectacle of Paul’s fight with Tyson last year on Netflix, drawing millions of viewers and generating plenty of business at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

“That’s why this fight is happening,” Bunce told the BBC. “Joshua got an offer he couldn’t refuse.”

Boxing has had its fair share of unusual matchups in recent years, mainly due to the involvement of Paul and his brother, Logan. Initially, Jake Paul was supposed to fight Gervonta “Tank” Davis, but the fight was cancelled after Davis became embroiled in a civil suit over alleged domestic violence. 

“They said fight a real boxer,” Paul said on his YouTube channel. “They said fight someone your size. They said fight a world champion. We looked at a long list of supposed fighters for me to fight … A.J. is a knockout artist with fights that have literally ended in seconds. I’m not gonna lie, I’m a little scared.”

The last time Joshua stepped in the ring with a relative novice in boxing, he knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in two rounds in March 2024. Now he’s stepping in the ring with a boxer who has stacked wins against former UFC fighters, YouTubers, an NBA Slam Dunk champion, a past-his-prime middleweight and a former heavyweight champion who hadn’t fought a legit fight in over 19 years.

Nevertheless, Paul is predicting he will “knock out” and “embarrass” Joshua when they step in the ring in December.