Joshua vs Paul on December 19 in Netflix Heavyweight Fight

The Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul fight is a “done deal” for Friday, December 19, in what will be a real fight that will go down in the record books. It is expected to be shown on Netflix, making it accessible to the 301 million subscribers worldwide.

Action taken, December 19

This is a fight that will bring in huge numbers due to Jake Paul’s immense popularity on social media. Mike Coppinger just revealed the news of the Joshua vs. Paul fight officially “done” for December 19th.

AJ’s massive payday

Earlier today, Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn said the fight against Jake Paul would bring in similar income to AJ’s hoped-for fight against Tyson Fury. Hearn could be right as there will be huge interest from American fans to see Joshua fight Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) due to his social media reach.

Hearn says that AJ can 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 forever? You’d have to see it as a money thing, as Joshua can’t make that kind of haul fighting anyone other than ‘The Gyspy King’, who seemingly lost his nerve after suffering his second loss to 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 US. There is no one AJ can fight that will give him the attention Jake Paul will because of his massive social media following. Boxing fans unfamiliar with Paul’s popularity may consider this a foolish fight for Joshua.

Jake Paul follows on social media:

• YouTube: 20.9 million subscribers
• Instagram: 28.7 million followers
• TikTok: 18.4 million followers

Hearn withholds the revelation

Surprisingly, Hearn did not reveal the news himself today in the many interviews he has given 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.

“That would be up there with the biggest payday of his career,” said Eddie Hearn iFL TV about what kind of money Anthony Joshua will get to fight Jake Paul. “I think Jake Paul is angry that he’s even considering fighting Anthony Joshua. There’s nobody in our shoes who wouldn’t take it. I’m sorry.”

In the same interview, Hearn said he thinks Jake is “crazy” for wanting to fight former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua. If Hearn thinks Jake Paul is “crazy” for taking the fight, what does that say about AJ agreeing to it? He’s obviously taking the fight for the same reason that 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. This is a fight that should never happen.

“The legacy is there. He’s an Olympic gold medalist (Joshua), and a two-time heavyweight champion. It’s not 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,” Hearn said of the fight against Jake Paul.