Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul appear to be on the brink of agreeing to an unlikely battle.
The two boxing stars have teased a fight with one another for a number of months, and speculation over a clash ramped up in recent weeks when Paul’s scheduled fight with Gervonta Davis was cancelled at the last moment.
That was due to happen this Friday, but ‘The Problem Child’ will now instead return in December, with the likes of Joshua, Andre Ward and Francis Ngannou all touted as possible opponents.
It seems that Joshua is the one that will be standing in the opposite corner, as the Ring’s Mike Coppinger reported that a deal is close for it to happen.
Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul are finalizing a deal for a heavyweight fight on Netflix in December in Miami, sources tell @ringmagazine. Paul steps up massively to fight the former heavyweight champion after his exhibition with Gervonta Davis was cancelled. Major props to Paul. pic.twitter.com/lr8OdmapUN
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) November 12, 2025
It signals a huge change in opponent for Paul, whose original opponent stands at 5ft 5in and weighs 135lbs, compared to Joshua who – 6ft 6in and 252lbs for his last contest.
Joshua hasn’t fought since a September 2024 defeat to Daniel Dubois, but the former unified world heavyweight champion will still be seen as a monumentous favourite against Paul, whose best win arguably came back in June when he defeated faded ex-WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.