Former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua will fight YouTube star Jake Paul in a professional bout in Miami next month, with the two fighters set to share a reported $184m purse.
36-year-old Joshua will take on the YouTuber-turned-boxer at Kaseya Centre in Miami, Matchroom Boxing announced on Monday.
The fight will consist of eight three-minute rounds and represents a significant payday for both fighters, with reports suggesting an even split of the massive prize pot.
The bout is a replacement fight for America’s Paul, who had been scheduled to take on lightweight Gervonta Davis in an exhibition match earlier this month before the fight was cancelled.
Paul, 28, beat heavyweight great Mike Tyson in Texas in November 2024 in a fight that drew an audience exceeding 60 million viewers on Netflix.
Joshua has not fought since being stopped by British compatriot Daniel Dubois at Wembley in September last year in their IBF title bout.
The match-up has generated significant controversy, with critics questioning why the former two-time unified heavyweight champion would take on an opponent with Paul’s limited credentials. However, the massive financial incentive provides clear motivation for the British-Nigerian heavyweight.
Paul’s 12-1 record across the past five years has been built against nobodies and elderly stars, with his sole loss coming against Tommy Fury, the younger brother of Tyson Fury.
Despite the controversial nature of the bout, boxing powerbroker Turki Alalshikh has hinted at major plans for Joshua’s future beyond the Paul fight.
Speaking on DAZN’s broadcast before the Conor Benn vs. Chris Eubank Jr. fight on November 15, Alalshikh revealed ambitious plans for 2026.
“I am talking now with Eddie, we have next year, two big events here in London. It will be a surprise. We will have (Anthony) Joshua in our country in February, then there is the big fight, one of the greatest fights in the history of boxing, it will be in London here, maybe in September,” Alalshikh said.
When pressed on whether this could finally be Joshua vs. Tyson Fury, Alalshikh added, “I will not give you the answer. But we will have in April here, maybe in Tottenham, big fights. Then in September, we will have me and (Eddie Hearn), a big surprise for the fans in England.”
Eddie Hearn, who promotes Joshua with Matchroom, expressed optimism about making the long-awaited Fury fight happen.
“Listen, we have all got excited about that fight for many years. I believe (Turki) is the man to make it happen. Everything we do with Anthony Joshua, we do with Turki Alalshikh,” Hearn said.
“We have been sitting down this week. We have a lot of plans for Anthony Joshua’s future. He wants to regain the world heavyweight championship; he wants to, of course, fight Tyson Fury.”
However, should Joshua somehow lose to Paul, the iconic bout with Fury could be off the table, raising the stakes for the December clash in Miami.
