It's been officially confirmed that Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul will fight live on Netflix next month, and it looks likely that both fighters will leave with an eye-watering amount of money.
After rumours first surfaced last week, it was revealed today (17 November) by Netflix that the YouTuber will face up against the pro boxer in a bout in Miami on 19 December, which will go live on the streaming service at 1am UK time on the 20th.
Paul was previously set to fight Gervonta Davis but called it off after 'Tank' was accused of kidnapping and attacking an ex-girlfriend, something the 28-year-old content creator was quick to condemn.
Since starting a career in boxing back in 2018, the 28-year-old has officially taken part in 13 fights, winning 12 of them including against former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, with his only loss coming against Tommy Fury.
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So, it's hard to see how he's going to come out victorious against an elite sportsman such as Anthony Joshua, even if the London-born boxer hasn't fought since a damning defeat against Daniel Dubois over a year ago.
While Paul may well need his share of the prize pot to spend on hospital bills in the US after facing the two-time heavyweight champion of the world and Olympic gold winner, he certainly seems confident about his chances ahead of the fight.
He said: "This isn’t an AI simulation. This is Judgment Day. A professional heavyweight fight against an elite world 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 19, under the lights in Miami, live globally only on Netflix, the torch gets passed and Britain’s Goliath gets put to sleep. I KNOWWWW YOU GOT EM PICKED HAHAHHA."
What prize pot could Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua take home?
Even though the opportunity to knock out Jake Paul might have been enough to tempt half the population to get into the ring, Joshua is going to be leaving with a rather big pay cheque, no matter what the result.
According to the Daily Mail, Netflix is currently working with Joshua on a documentary and if talks prove successful, the fight may form a key part of the upcoming doc.
While the final details are yet to be ironed out, a prize pot of around £140 million has already been mooted for the fight, which is probably what convinced Joshua to return to the ring.
Promoter Frank Warren told the publication: "People are going to criticise it but I don’t see it that way. I don’t like these fights where an old fighter in his late-fifties is dragged into the ring, but as long as these guys are both fit, which they are, then I don’t have a problem.
"People always say Jake Paul only takes on opponents who don’t have a pulse, so you can’t knock him for this, if it goes ahead. It will get a huge audience – AJ doesn’t cause a lot of noise in the US and Paul does. People like car crashes. It will do well."
Paul might need to watch his words ahead of the event, as while there's a large amount of scepticism about whether or not Joshua will take the fight seriously, he's committed to showing the former Vine star 'no mercy'.
The 36-year-old said: "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.”
Topics: Anthony Joshua, Jake Paul, Boxing, Netflix
James Moorhouse