The boxing world was shaken on November 17 when it became official: Jake Paul will face Anthony Joshua in a professional heavyweight fight in Miami, Florida, on December 19. Fans and analysts immediately began speculating on the reasoning behind this sudden matchup, especially after Paul’s original fight against Gervonta “Tank” Davis was canceled just days earlier.
Behind the scenes, Netflix reportedly wanted Paul on a fight card before the end of 2025. His team reached out to fighters like Ryan Garcia, Terence Crawford, and Francis Ngannou to step in on short notice.
Garcia declined, with his promoter, Oscar De La Hoya, explaining, “Ryan Garcia fights for DAZN. And Jake Paul fights on Netflix. I mean, that’s pretty much the bottom line. Golden Boy has a contract with DAZN. Ryan Garcia has a contract with Golden Boy. And that’s just the way it is. I mean, this is business… You have a contract with DAZN. You have a contract with Golden Boy. It just doesn’t happen that way.”
Why did Jake Paul pick Anthony Joshua?
On November 17, Garcia spoke on Ring Magazine’s Inside the Ring, offering his perspective. “This fight [against Joshua] is probably the worst fight that Jake Paul could have took. Out of all the fights he probably had a choice, you know? This is a big dude, heavyweight. Like, how do you go from 135 [pounds] to 225. It’s going to be difficult,” he said.
JJake Paul looks on at a news conference about his now-canceled exhibition match with Gervonta “Tank” Davis. Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images
Garcia added that Paul is drawn to high-profile bouts. “He’s just addicted to doing huge fights. At the end of the day, he has so many options. He’s always looking for the guy that can make the most noise,” Garcia explained.
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He also speculated on Paul’s thinking regarding Joshua’s chin and past fights: “He’s probably thinking, ‘Anthony Joshua, maybe his chin is suspect. Maybe he’s not even thinking about me, so I’m going to come in and somehow hit him with my right hand.’ Because he believes that his right hand is as strong as [Deontay] Wilder.”
What challenges await Paul against Joshua?
Whatever the reasoning, it’s clear that Paul faces a challenging task in the ring against a seasoned heavyweight like Joshua. Fans will be watching closely on December 19 to see whether Paul’s strategy pays off against the elite competition.
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Will Jake Paul succeed against Anthony Joshua?
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