Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua will bring another year of seismic shifts in boxing to an end in Miami on Friday night in a mismatch that illustrates how much the sport has changed, with online fame now almost as important as punching power.
YouTuber-turned-pugilist Paul, who is stepping up from cruiserweight, is seeking to burnish his reputation against the 36-year-old British former heavyweight champ, who was knocked down four times as he lost his most recent fight, an IBF heavyweight title bout with Daniel Dubois in September 2024.
Channelling former boxing great Muhammad Ali, Paul said: “You know, it’s boxing, boxing skill, boxing on the outside. He’s obviously going to come forward, bring the pressure, be the bigger man. And it’s just being slick, float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.”
While Ali took on a few odd-but-lucrative engagements in his time, such as a mixed-rules fight with professional wrestler Antonio Inoki in 1976, he would hardly recognise boxing’s new world, even if money was still the main motivator.
Joshua, whose career began an alarming slide after he lost his four heavyweight belts to Andy Ruiz in a shocking upset in 2019, has been promised a reputed US$50 million plus bonuses for the fight, which will be shown on streaming platform Netflix.
Jake Paul (left) is stepping up from cruiserweight to take on heavyweight Anthony Joshua. Photo: Reuters
The Netflix audience brings together diehard boxing fans who will be eager to see what Joshua has left in the tank, and youthful admirers of Paul, with the former hoping Joshua wins convincingly.