MIAMI — The improbable bout between Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul has finally arrived.
Joshua will face Paul in an eight-round heavyweight bout on Friday on Netflix at Kaseya Center in Miami. Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs), 36, will be fighting for the first time since September of last year, when he was knocked out in the fifth round by former IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois. Paul (12-1, 7 KOs), 28, has won six straight fights, with his last win being a one-sided unanimous decision victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Before Joshua and Paul step into the ring, there will be eight undercard fights. The Netflix portion of the card will begin at 8 p.m. ET with 2024 U.S. Olympian Jahmal Harvey fighting for the second time as a pro when he faces Kevin Cervantes. That bout will be followed by former UFC champions Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley squaring off in a six-round cruiserweight fight.
The co-main event features unified 130-pound champion Alycia Baumgardner defending her IBF, WBA and WBO titles against Leila Beaudoin. The bout will be 12 three-minute rounds, not the conventional 10 two-minute rounds for a women’s title fight.
The prelim portion of the card, which can be streamed on Most Valuable Promotions’ YouTube channel, features three women’s title fights, with the feature bout being undisputed bantamweight champion Cherneka Johnson defending her belts against Amanda Galle.
WBC lightweight champion Caroline Dubois vs Camilla Panatta and WBC strawweight champion Yokasta Valle vs Yadira Bustillos make up the other two title fights on the prelims.
Stay here for the results of the undercard fights leading up to Joshua vs Paul at Kaseya Center.
Here are the results:
Cherneka Johnson (19-2, 8 KOs) def. Amanda Galle (12-1-1, 1 KO) by unanimous decision (99-91, 98-92, 97-93)
In a bloody fight that mostly took place in close quarters, Johnson’s pressure and volume helped her retain her undisputed bantamweight title and hand Galle her first loss.
Caroline Dubois (12-0-1, 5 KOs) def. Camilla Panatta (8-3-1, 1 KO) by unanimous decision (99-90, 99-90, 99-90)
Dubois delivered a well-rounded performance and dropped Panatta in the sixth round with a right hook in a one-sided decision victory to retain her WBC lightweight title in her U.S. debut.
Yokasta Valle (34-3, 10 KOs) def. Yadira Bustillos (11-2, 2 KOs) by majority decision (95-95, 98-92, 96-94)
Valle did the better work throughout the all-action, high-paced fight to retain her WBC strawweight title.
Avious Griffin (18-1, 17 KOs) def. Justin Cardona (10-2, 5 KOs) by first-round knockout
Griffin got back into the win column, as he dropped Cardona with a vicious left hook late in the opening stanza, and he was unable to beat referee Christopher Young’s count.
Keno Marley (1-0) def. Diarra Davis Jr (2-2, 1 KO) by unanimous decision (40-35, 40-35, 40-35)
Everything went according to plan for Marley in his pro debut, as he dropped Davis in the first round and won every round on all three scorecards.