Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul is reportedly a ‘done deal’, with the professional heavyweight bout slated to take place on December 19.
It surprises some when, earlier this week, two-time world champion Joshua was mooted as a likely opponent for the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
Before that news story emerged, Paul had been forced to abandon his exhibition match with WBA world lightweight champion Gervonta Davis, who is now faced with a civil lawsuit over his alleged domestic violence.
It was towards the end of last month that ex-girlfriend Courtney Rossel accused ‘Tank’ of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
As a result, Davis was no longer considered a viable opponent for Paul, which meant that their Netflix exhibition match, scheduled for today, was eventually scuppered.
Now, though, it would appear that Paul is set to face Joshua, who has not fought since his devastating fifth-round stoppage defeat to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.
Ring Magazine journalist Mike Coppinger reported on Wednesday that both Paul and ‘AJ’ were finalising a deal to collide in Miami, Florida, live on Netflix.
Taking to social media platform X, he then added yesterday that the fight is a ‘done deal’ and will take place on December 19 and that it will not be an exhibition, suggesting it will be a sanctioned professional bout.
“Heavyweight fight – not exhibition – is slated to take place Friday, Dec. 19, per sources.
It’s a done deal.”
While it was always teased that Joshua could return to action before 2026, many will likely struggle to digest the offering of his apparent mismatch with Paul.
It was just under a year ago, too, that Paul trudged through his lucrative exhibition match with a 58-year-old Mike Tyson, who was ultimately outpointed through eight, two-minute rounds.
