Joshua Set to Face YouTube Sensation Paul in High-Stakes Bout
Former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua is set to fight YouTube star-turned-boxer Jake Paul at the Kaseya Center in Miami on December 19. The bout is scheduled for 8 rounds of three minutes each, with both fighters wearing traditional ten-ounce gloves — a matchup that has split the boxing world between genuine curiosity and outright disbelief.
Joshua is 36 and usually walks around at roughly 113kg, though he’s expected to come in at 111kg for this one. Boxing commentator Steve Bunce, speaking to BBC News, didn’t mince words — he called the whole thing “ridiculous.” That said, he was quick to point out the obvious draw: Paul, at 28, may still be a “rookie” in the ring, but the money on offer for Joshua is reportedly around $50 million. Hard to argue with that.
Bunce put the financial side of things into context by pointing back to Jake Paul’s fight against Mike Tyson last November, which pulled in around 300 million viewers across various platforms. “That’s a staggering number, and they were compensated to the tune of millions,” Bunce noted. Those kinds of figures, he argued, explain exactly why a fight like this gets made.
He has no issue with Joshua taking the payday — particularly given Joshua’s well-known philanthropic work. Bunce also raised the possibility of a future fight between Joshua and fellow Brit Tyson Fury, though he suggested fans may be watching the later chapters of Joshua’s career play out.
The size difference between the two men is expected to be stark. Bunce pointed out that Joshua will stand at least 15 inches taller and weigh approximately 25 kilograms more than Paul. “Let’s not forget, AJ is an Olympic champion,” he reminded listeners.
Paul’s record in professional boxing has raised eyebrows in ways few expected. Bunce gave him his due, calling him a “great rookie” with a real knack for generating interest in the sport. With Joshua’s pedigree and Paul’s improbable rise, this fight is shaping up to be one of the stranger — and more watchable — events on the boxing calendar.
