Friday's big Netflix show fromMiami, Florida matches Jake Paul, the sport’s most-watched fighter whose showmanship has shattered records, with former two-time champion Anthony Joshua, who has headlined sold-out stadiums across the UK and beyond. But this didn’t come out of nowhere. In a previous interview with Netflix ahead of a since-canceled fight against Gervonta “Tank” Davis, Paul floated Joshua’s name as the kind of test he eventually wanted. “Anthony Joshua,” Paul said when asked what fight he was manifesting next. “100%. I want a challenge. I want challenges always.”

 

Paul has spent the last five years transforming from a YouTube disruptor to a dedicated boxer. The American pride of Puerto Rico has picked off mixed martial artists like Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz in boxing matches. Paul’s leap into the heavyweight ranks last year, with a win over 58 year-old Mike Tyson, shattered viewership records with 108 million people tuning in. In June 2025, Paul followed that momentum with a unanimous-decision victory over former middleweight champion Julio César Chávez Jr.

 

Now Paul will test all of that progress against one of the most feared heavyweights of the modern era. “"This isn’t an AI simulation. This is Judgment Day,” Paul told Netflix. “A professional heavyweight fight against an elite [former] champion in his prime. When I beat Anthony Joshua, every doubt disappears, and no one can deny me the opportunity to fight for a world title. To all my haters, this is what you wanted. To the people of the United Kingdom, I am sorry. On Friday, December 19th, under the lights in Miami, live globally only on Netflix, the torch gets passed and Britain’s Goliath gets put to sleep.”

 

Joshua has spent the last decade building one of the most accomplished heavyweight résumés in modern boxing. After winning Olympic gold for Great Britain at London 2012, Joshua rocketed through the pro ranks, claiming his first world title in 2016 with a stoppage of Charles Martin. A year later, he delivered a career-defining moment: a war with Wladimir Klitschko in front of 90,000 fans at Wembley Stadium that unified the division and cemented his place as the sport’s newest superstar.

 

Joshua went on to collect and defend the WBO, WBA, and IBF titles, turning Wembley into his personal home arena and racking up victories over Joseph Parker and Alexander Povetkin. His unbeaten streak ended in his 2019 US debut against Andy Ruiz Jr. at Madison Square Garden, but Joshua returned six months later in Saudi Arabia to win the rematch and become a two-time unified heavyweight champion.

 

Even after setbacks, Joshua never shied away from elite competition. He scored a knockout of Kubrat Pulev, went 24 rounds over two losses to pound-for-pound great Oleksandr Usyk, and rebuilt under trainer Derrick James in Dallas. Then he returned to London for a wide points win over Jermaine Franklin. He followed that with a short-notice knockout of Robert Helenius, a dominant performance against Otto Wallin in Saudi Arabia, and a ferocious second-round knockout of Francis Ngannou — a finish that many considered 2024’s Knockout of the Year.

 

In September 2024, Joshua fought for the IBF title again, but lost to fellow Brit Daniel Dubois. Now, still chasing his goal of becoming a three-time heavyweight world champion, he meets Jake Paul in Miami, bringing with him one of the most explosive knockout records of his era.

 

“Jake or anyone can get this work,” says Joshua. “No mercy. I took some time out and I’m coming back with a mega show. It’s a big opportunity for me. Whether you like it or not, I’m here to do massive numbers, have big fights and break every record whilst keeping cool, calm and collected. Mark my words, you’ll see a lot more fighters take these opportunities in the future. I’m about to break the internet over Jake Paul’s face.”