Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua Preview: Spectacle, Money and a Heavyweight Clash

Miami will host one of the strangest and most polarising boxing spectacles of recent years. Jake Paul – YouTuber, influencer and part-time boxer, steps into the ring against Anthony Joshua, a former Olympic champion and two-time heavyweight world champion.

On paper, it looks less like a fight and more like a mismatch wrapped in spectacle.

Paul vs Anthony and Size Difference

The face-off at the Kaseya Center made one thing painfully clear: the physical disparity is real. Joshua stands at 6’6” (198 cm), weighs 111 kg and boasts a terrifying 208 cm reach.

Paul, by comparison, comes in at 6’0” (184 cm), 104 kg, with a 193 cm reach. More importantly, Joshua brings with him decades of elite boxing pedigree, while Paul arrives armed with confidence, hype and a career built on defying expectations rather than opponents of this calibre.

Paul’s professional record reads seven wins from 13 bouts. Joshua’s tells a very different story: 28 victories, just four defeats, and 25 knockouts. This is a man who ruled the heavyweight division, who stood on Olympic podiums, and who has shared the ring with the very best of his era. That is precisely why Joshua has refused to play along with the circus narrative.

“This is a dangerous place,” Joshua said bluntly. “When you step into the ring, anything can happen. You hope your opponent leaves safely, but if not, you go to sleep knowing you did your job. Nothing personal.”

The warning was not subtle. Joshua made it clear he would not be responsible for any long-term consequences Paul might suffer. For all the bravado and social media bravura, this will not be another controlled exhibition against a retired MMA fighter. This is eight rounds of professional boxing against a heavyweight who knows exactly how to hurt people.

Money Talks

And yet, the money ensures no one is backing out. With a guaranteed purse of $50 million plus bonuses, this bout becomes only the second live boxing event ever streamed on Netflix. The platform is new. The audience will be global. The risk, however, is entirely old-school.

Paul insists he has a plan. He insists Joshua has everything to lose.

“He’s nervous,” Paul claimed. “This could be the biggest loss of his career. I’ve got him cornered. When he realises what I can do to him, the pressure will start to grow.”

It is classic Jake Paul rhetoric: loud, provocative, designed to tilt the spotlight back onto himself. Realistically, he has little to lose. A defeat is expected. A knockout almost assumed. The pressure, paradoxically, does sit on Joshua’s shoulders – the heavyweight champion tasked with ‘ending the show’ and restoring a sense of sporting order.

Joshua accepted the fight on short notice after Gervonta Davis was removed from the card following legal issues. His last outing came in September 2024 at Wembley, where he fought Daniel Dubois for the IBF heavyweight title.

Now, he finds himself facing a YouTuber in Miami, carrying what he described as “the responsibility of the entire sport”.

“I’m not looking for weaknesses,” Joshua said. “I focus on strengths. I’m fighting the best version of Jake Paul. But make no mistake – his chances are non-existent.”

Paul, unsurprisingly, sees it differently. He welcomes Joshua’s power, invites punishment and talks openly about future fantasies involving Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk – perhaps even in MMA. It is reckless talk, but recklessness has carried him this far.

The bout is scheduled for eight three-minute rounds. It will take place in the early hours of Saturday morning, live on Netflix. Whether it ends as a brutal reality check or the greatest upset of boxing’s modern circus era remains to be seen.

What is certain is this: when the bell rings in Miami, the jokes stop. And Jake Paul will finally find out what it really means to stand across from a heavyweight champion of the world.

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