Anthony Joshua and
Jake Paul are finalizing a deal for a heavyweight fight on Netflix in December in Miami, sources told The Ring.
Joshua and Paul were engaged in talks this summer, but the sides couldn’t reach terms on a deal. One of the sticking points at the time, as The Ring reported then, were the networks.
Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) is exclusively with DAZN while Paul was looking to stage an event on Netflix, the same platform that streamed his event with the then-58-year-old Mike Tyson last year.
Those issues have now been ironed out, sources said.
Besides the major paydays Joshua and Paul will rake in, the pairing makes sense from a timing perspective. Paul was seeking a new dance partner after Gervonta Davis was pulled last week from Friday’s scheduled exhibition on Netflix in Miami after the latest domestic violence allegations against him.
Joshua, meanwhile, was targeting a warm-up fight late this year, promoter Eddie Hearn said this week. The 36-year-old former heavyweight champion hasn’t competed since September 2024, when Daniel Dubois stopped him in five rounds.
With talk of Joshua potentially facing Tyson Fury next year, he was looking for a comeback fight to prepare and shake off the rust.
For Paul, it’s a massive leap in competition – the first time he’ll face a world-class fighter who is near his size and close to his prime.
Paul, 27, is coming off a decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. this summer.
Other names Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) considered for the event: boxing stars Terence Crawford and Ryan Garcia. Crawford turned down the fight, per sources, while Garcia was unavailable as he’s set to face Mario Barrios in a welterweight title fight early next year.
Joshua, one of the biggest boxing attractions in British history, is no stranger to high-profile fights with boxing novices. Last year, he scored a spectacular second-round KO of former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Follow Mike Coppinger on X/Instagram: @MikeCoppinger. He co-hosts Inside the Ring every Monday with Max Kellerman.