One of the bigger surprises in the boxing world in 2025 came to fruition in mid-November when Jake Paul announced he would face former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on December 19 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. The Paul vs. Joshua fight came to be after Paul’s matchup against WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis in an exhibition match fell apart after Davis was named in a civil lawsuit by an ex-girlfriend. That suit accused Davis of aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
The Paul vs. Joshua fight will not be an exhibition. The bout is schedule for eight three-minute rounds. The fighters will use 10-ounce gloves, the standard for heavyweight boxing. The fight is the shortest scheduled contest for Joshua since he moved to 12-0 in May 2015 with a knockout over Raphael Zumbano Love in the second round of a scrap that was booked for eight rounds.
Paul is 12-1 as a boxer. He is coming off a June 28 decision win over Julio César Chávez Jr. in a bout that was contested at cruiserweight. Joshua sports a 28-4 record with 25 knockouts. He last fought in September 2024 when he lost to Daniel Dubois in a bout for Dubois’ IBF title. Joshua is ranked third in the WBC and 10th in the WBO. Paul is unranked as a heavyweight.
Joshua can weigh no more than 245 pounds on weigh-in day, but he is not limited to a weight on fight night.
| Paul vs. Joshua |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jake Paul to Win | +625 | +675 | +600 |
| Anthony Joshua to Win | -1100 | -1100 | -1000 |
| Fight to go the Distance | +375 | +375 | +350 |
| Fight Won't go the Distance | -600 | -600 | -550 |
YouTuber turned professional boxer Jake Paul (12-1 with seven KOs) has been very careful about his fight bookings until now. His past 13 bouts have been winnable fights against (mostly) recognizable opponents who were past their prime. By signing for those fights, Paul, through his Most Valuable Promotions, shrewdly assured that his bouts would sell and that the odds would be stacked in his favor. While the Joshua fight is likely to draw a fair share of eyeballs, Paul is most assuredly not the betting favorite against a bigger, more powerful, and more experienced foe.
The 28-year-old has shown that he takes his boxing career seriously. He trains hard and has developed some skills, but to be blunt, he is nowhere near the fighter Joshua is. That he would agree to fight the man who was a two-time unified heavyweight champ is mind-boggling.
This is an enormous challenge for Paul, and some see it as too big a risk. After all, Joshua destroyed former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in their March 2024 matchup. The ex-champ leaft Ngannou out cold in the second round. Paul is no Ngannou in terms of size or fighting experience.
My best guess is that Paul has developed a severe case of overconfidence, and that could be very costly when December 19 rolls around.
Anthony Joshua has been criticized by some for taking this fight, with some saying it’s a bad look for a former unified champ to face a YouTuber in the boxing ring. However, this is prize fighting we’re talking about, and Joshua is likely to pocket a lot of money for not a whole lot of effort on December 19.
The last time Joshua faced a novice boxer, which, let’s be honest, is where Paul falls when he is being discussed alongside Joshua, it was former UFC champ Francis Ngannou. Joshua did not overlook Ngannou, who is much larger and potentially dangerous than Paul. He took that fight seriously and finished the contest in the second round, knocking out Ngannou with a massive right hand. It was his third knockdown of the bout.
Joshua has power, size, speed, and experience on his side, and if he approaches this fight with anything close to the way he did the Ngannou contest, Paul will be in for a bad night. The only thing Joshua needs to worry about is the weight stipulation; he has weighed 252, 252, and 251 for his past three outings.
Joshua could see this fight as a way to do well in the American market and set up a potential big-time battle with Tyson Fury in 2026. A highlight reel knockout of Paul on Netflix won’t hurt him in any way.
Anthony Joshua has been knocked out twice in his career, but both of those losses came to heavy-handed heavyweights, and Jake Paul is not one of those. The only way Joshua loses this fight is if he gets sloppy or doesn’t take his opponent seriously. Judging from the Ngannou matchup, that is not a likely outcome.
The betting pick is for Anthony Joshua to beat Jake Paul.
The outcome of the fight will be Anthony Joshua winning by knockout. The betting pick is for Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul to last less than 2.5 rounds.
Though everyone would love to go to a big boxing match in person, not all of us can. Fortunately, online betting lets you be a part of the action from anywhere with an internet connection. The best online betting sites give you market-leading odds and trusted money management no matter where you’re betting from!
Wagering on Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua online also gives you access to lucrative betting bonuses. Also, make sure to check out our best boxing betting sites before placing a wager on the fight.
About the Author
Trent's your man when it comes to all things sports. He covers a wide range of sports for Sports Betting Sites, and has been published in some pretty reputable outlets, such as USA Today Sports, Vice, Bloody Elbow, Fight! Magazine, UFC 360, and Narratively. Trent's got the inside track on all the happenings in the world of sports.
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