The Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul fight is a “done deal” for Friday, December 19th, in what will be a real fight that will count in the record books. It’s expected to be shown on Netflix, which makes it accessible to the 301 million subscribers worldwide.
Deal Done, Dec. 19th
It’s a fight that will bring in massive numbers due to Jake Paul’s immense popularity on social media. Mike Coppinger just revealed the news of the Joshua vs. Paul fight being officially “done” for December 19th.
AJ’s Massive Payday
Earlier today, Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, said the fight against Jake Paul will bring in similar revenue as AJ’s hoped-for fight against Tyson Fury. Hearn could be right because there will be massive interest from U.S. fans in seeing Joshua fight Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) due to his reach on social media.
Hearn states that AJ could match his highest career payday, which was $88.5 million in his rematch with Andy Ruiz Jr. on December 7, 2019. Is AJ chasing a legacy moment or simply chasing another $88 million payday before the Fury window closes for good? You’d have to see it as a money thing, as Joshua can’t make that kind of loot fighting anyone else other than ‘The Gyspy King,’ who has seemingly lost his nerve after suffering his second defeat against Oleksander Usyk in 2024.
Joshua’s fight with Paul gives him a chance to take a free ride against arguably the most popular boxer in the U.S. There’s no one AJ can fight that will provide him the attention that Jake Paul will due to his huge following on social media. Boxing fans unfamiliar with Paul’s popularity may view this as a foolish fight for Joshua.
Jake Paul’s following on social media:
- YouTube: 20.9 million subscribers
- Instagram: 28.7 million followers
- TikTok: 18.4 million followers
Hearn Holds Back the Reveal
Surprisingly, Hearn didn’t reveal the news himself today in the many interviews that he gave on the subject. He could have told fans then. It would have been better to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth to get all the details.
“It would be up there with the biggest payday of his career,” said Eddie Hearn to iFL TV about what kind of money Anthony Joshua will get fighting Jake Paul. “I think Jake Paul is mad for even considering fighting Anthony Joshua. There isn’t anyone in our shoes who wouldn’t take it. I’m sorry.”
In the same interview, Hearn said that he thinks Jake is “mad” for wanting to fight the former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua. If Hearn thinks Jake Paul is “mad” for taking the fight, what does that say about AJ agreeing to it? He’s obviously taking the fight for the same reason Jake Paul is.
Joshua knows it’s going to pay a King’s ransom, and he’s not going to receive the kind of money or fame fighting anyone but Fury. That’s a fight that may never happen. The way Joshua has looked in the last few years, you can’t count out the possibility of Jake winning. Whatever punch resistance AJ once had has abandoned him, leaving him in a vulnerable state that we saw last year in his fifth-round knockout loss to Daniel Dubois on September 21, 2024.
“The legacy is there. He’s an Olympic gold medalist [Joshua], and a two-time heavyweight champion. This isn’t the end of our career. We’re just going to squeeze it in before we hopefully fight Tyson Fury and all the other top heavyweights in the world,” said Hearn about fighting Jake Paul.