With his exhibition against Gervonta “Tank” Davis having fallen through, Jake Paul will now face a major step up in competition.
On Monday, Netflix officially announced that “The Problem Child” will face former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Fla., on Dec. 19. News of the fight comes two weeks after Netflix and MVP Promotions canceled the Nov. 14 exhibition between Paul and Davis, after an ex-girlfriend filed a civil lawsuit accusing Davis of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
Yes, it’s real.
JAKE PAUL vs. ANTHONY JOSHUA. A career-defining pro heavyweight fight. LIVE only on Netflix Friday, December 19. #JakeJoshua pic.twitter.com/zG4RSqsTxU
— Netflix (@netflix) November 17, 2025
In announcing the cancelation of the Davis fight, Netflix said that it planned to stream another Paul-headlined event by the end of 2025. While former UFC star Nate Diaz publicly indicated he had agreed to replace Davis, The Ring’s Mike Coppinger reported last week that Joshua was finalizing a deal to be Paul’s next opponent.
Despite the circumstances that led to the cancellation of the original fight, replacing Davis with Joshua is a big win for Netflix. Whereas the fight between Paul and Davis drew scrutiny due to the participants’ weight difference — which resulted in the fight qualifying as an exhibition — ESPN’s Andreas Hale reports that the Joshua match will be sanctioned, with the fighters wearing 10 oz boxing gloves.
The 36-year-old Joshua is also widely considered to be the most formidable opponent that Paul has faced to this point in his boxing career. While many of the former YouTube star’s past opponents have been former MMA specialists and/or fighters past their primes, Joshua is a two-time unified world heavyweight champion who last held the title as recently as 2021 and has won four of his last five fights dating back to 2023.
Factor in the Englishman possessing a significant size difference — he last fought at 252 pounds compared to Paul’s 209.4 pounds in his most recent fight — and there will certainly be plenty of intrigue regarding the outcome of their fight. That’s surely music to the ears of Netflix executives, as the streamer continues to establish itself as the home of boxing’s highest profile fights.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.