Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua: Everything you need to know about American news

YouTube star Jake Paul will step into the ring with British heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua in a highly anticipated (and highly criticised) boxing contest.

The event marks the end of a 14-month hiatus in Florida Joshua36, while for the 28-year-old Paul, this will be the biggest and potentially the most dangerous fight since the start of his boxing career in 2020.

Here’s everything you need to know, from the timing to who’s on the undercard and how to watch it.

What time is the Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight?

The event is happening Friday, 19th December, at Miami’s Kasia Center – but the time difference means it’ll be a quick Saturday, 20th December For audiences in the UK.

it’s about to start around 8 pm local time, which means for In the UK, the main event will start at 1pm.

The ringwalk is set for Paul and Joshua 10.30pm local time, which is 3.30am in the UK.

Once in the ring, the fight will consist of eight three-minute rounds using regulation 10 oz gloves.

Who’s on the undercard?

• Alicia Baumgardner vs. Leila Beaudoin – Unified Super-Featherweight World Championship

• Anderson Silva vs. Tyron Woodley —a six-round cruiserweight

• Jahmal Harvey vs. Kevin Cervantes – six-round super-featherweight

The preliminary fights, which begin at 4.45pm local time and 9.45pm UK time, include:

• Cherneka Johnson vs. Amanda Gale – Undisputed Bantamweight Championship

• Caroline Dubois vs. Camila Panatta – WBC Lightweight World Championship

• Yocasta Vale vs. Yadira Bustillos – WBC Strawweight World Championship

• Avious Griffin vs. Justin Cardona – Welterweight

• Keno Marley vs. Daira Davis Jr – Cruiserweight

how to watch it

The main event will stream live on Netflix, with no additional purchases or pay-per-view required.

Just a subscription to the streaming service is required.

How do Paul and Joshua compare

What happened during weighing?

Britain’s two-time world heavyweight champion Joshua will hold an almost two-stone lead over Paul, who has regularly fought at cruiserweight since entering the boxing world.

At the official weigh-in on 18 December, Joshua came in at 17 st 5 lbs (243.4 lbs) to Paul’s 15 st 6 lbs (216 lbs) – a huge difference of 1.9 st.

Joshua, who cannot weigh more than 245 lbs, is the lightest he has been since his first fight against Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021, when he weighed 240 lbs. He weighed in at 252.5 lbs for his last fight against Daniel Dubois.

This bout is only the second time Paul has weighed in over the cruiserweight limit – the other time being when he fought 58-year-old Mike Tyson.

“I’m going to beat this kid; I’m just going to beat him,” Joshua said at an event in Miami. When the pair raised their fists at each other, they ignored the confrontation.

“I’m a serious fighter; that’s the difference. I’m a serious, serious fighter.”

Paul exclaimed that he was “dialled in” as he flexed his muscles on stage. He said he told Joshua he smelt fear.

“I see something in her eyes, I really do,” he said.

“The pressure is on him. I’m fighting free; I’ve already won. “It’s a situation where he stands to lose.”

Why was the fight criticised?

Given that Paul’s 13-fight career has primarily involved former UFC stars or faded boxing greats, this contest and Joshua’s involvement have caused a reaction in the boxing world.

One of the individuals who spoke out was Tyson Fury, a British former world champion, whom fans want to see face Joshua in a heavyweight fight.

‘This could be their last day on Earth.’

In a post on social media, Fury called Joshua a “classless loser” for agreeing to fight Paul.

He stated, “He’s facing a 37-year-old YouTuber nearing the end of his career, a man from the Disney Channel, whom Tommy (Fury) defeated.”

“After 15 months of knockout defeat to a local boy, you’re a classless loser.” Imagine someone from Morecambe knocking me out.”

Equally, Paul’s career and past bouts have been criticised, particularly his victory over boxing legend Mike Tyson in November of last year.

Amid widespread speculation that the fight was rigged, Paul’s promotion company was forced to issue a statement, labelling the rumours “false and unfounded”.

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Does Paul really have a chance?

According to Oddschecker, at the time of writing, the odds stood at around 10% for Paul to win, while Joshua had an 88.9% chance for a win and a 2.8% chance for a draw.

However, to prepare for the fight, Paul has been competing against some of the top heavyweight contenders, including former world champion Lawrence Okolie.

Okolie, who has won world titles at cruiserweight and bridgerweight, admitted that he was amazed by Paul’s boxing skills after spending training camp with him.

From November: Jake Paul’s attention ‘annoys people in boxing’

“He’s a lot better now than when I first saw him. I was actually scared for him when they said he was going to fight AJ,” he told Sky Sports News.

“If he boxes how he fought, he has a good chance to look really good.

“Jake is better than I thought. I think he has a very good boxing mind, good usage, and good patience.”