Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua LIVE: Latest updates and start time after AJ vows to ‘kill’ YouTuber in Netflix fight
YouTuber Paul’s controversial boxing endeavour has led him to Joshua, a former two-time world heavyweight champion, for a strange but seismic fight in Miami
Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua will square off in one of the strangest but biggest boxing matches in recent memory tonight, as they meet in a professional fight in Miami.
That means knockouts are allowed and the result will go on each man’s pro record, as Joshua – a former two-time world heavyweight champion – faces the YouTuber-turned-boxer across eight three-minute rounds. Both fighters will be wearing standard 10oz gloves, and Joshua, 36, came under fire this week for saying: “If I can kill you, I will kill you.”
The Briton later clarified, “That’s my job, we fight. We have a licence to kill. Many people don’t understand it,” with those words coming after criticism from his compatriot Tyson Fury – as the pair remain linked to a long-awaited showdown. In any case, Paul has remained defiant; the American, 28, has even claimed to be a better boxer than “AJ”.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn previously denied that this heavyweight fight, which has a reported purse of $184m, is scripted, saying: “It’s illegal to have a script when there’s a professional, sanctioned contest [and] do you think I would sign up to something that might make AJ look bad or go [for multiple] rounds?”
Follow live updates from Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua and the undercard, below:
Continued: How Joshua’s showdown with Dubois unravelled
The third knockdown, occurring in round four, seemed to be more of a slip in fairness, and there was a similar incident later in the round that was ruled a slip. But the final true knockdown came in round five, as Joshua exhibited the same overeagerness that cost him against Ruiz.
After feinting to the body, Joshua caught Dubois unaware with a piston right cross, sending the younger man skipping away to the ropes in retreat. There, Joshua landed two more right hands, but Dubois took them well, even landing a counter right after the second shot.
Joshua tried to mix it up with an uppercut as his third attack, but it was a rear-hand shot thrown nakedly – from too far away, and with AJ’s left hand too low to protect him.
This time, Dubois’s right hand did not land after Joshua’s but rather before. Joshua collapsed to the canvas in a heap and, despite his admirable efforts to get up yet again, this particular punishment proved too much.
How Joshua’s showdown with Dubois unravelled
Joshua’s only other stoppage loss was much more recent. In his last outing, in September 2024, the Briton was put down four times by compatriot Daniel Dubois en route to a fifth-round defeat. It might have been this showing that, rightly or wrongly, emboldened Paul.
The first knockdown came very late in the first round, and it could be attributed to complacency; upon hearing the 10-second clapper, Joshua stepped back towards the ropes with his guard alarmingly low, allowing Dubois to land a naked overhand right – no set-up, no feint, AJ simply judged the distance and danger completely wrong.
The second knockdown came at the same time in the third round. Joshua, seemingly still dazed, was tagged by a familiar weapon: a left hook, putting him on concerningly unstable ankles.
Just as with the first knockdown, it followed Joshua exiting a clinch then missing with a right hand and ducking off to his left, although this time Dubois capitalised immediately (his first-round knockdown came after the same movement from AJ, but there were admittedly a couple of dead seconds before Dubois attacked).
2 of Joshua's 4 losses have come via KO – can Paul exploit any bad habits...?
Joshua has four professional defeats to his name, two of which came via knockout, and Paul has referenced the first more than once. “This is Andy Ruiz 2.0,” he has said. In 2019, Ruiz Jr was a late replacement against Joshua and stunned him at Madison Square Garden, flooring him thrice en route to an upset title win.
On that occasion, Joshua’s problem was overeagerness; he dropped Ruiz in the third round but was reckless in his pursuit of a finish, and it was in the exchanges immediately after his knockdown of the underdog that he was felled by a left hook. Ruiz’s speed aided him in securing that close-range knockdown, and his next came later in the round, as Joshua slithered down the ropes under a sustained barrage.
Joshua recovered over the course of the next few rounds, but not enough, and he was susceptible to another left hook in the seventh frame – a punch that froze the Olympic gold medalist, setting up an overhand right and another prolonged combination that dropped him. With that, Joshua’s American dream was made a nightmare.
Caroline Dubois retains title ahead of Joshua vs Paul main event
Caroline Dubois gets the unanimous decision over Camila Panatta, staying unbeaten and retaining her WBC lightweight title!
99-90 on all three judges’ scorecards.
“I feel like I could’ve done more,” Dubois admits, though she says: “I’m happy I could entertain.”
She also says a fight with Alycia Baumgardner, with whom she traded barbs at this week’s press conference, is some way away right now. She hints that she needs to keep growing her profile first.
Baumgardner fights later!
Caroline Dubois drops Panatta ahead of Joshua vs Paul main event
Late in round six, Dubois drops Panatta with a perfect right hook – a lead-hand shot on her fellow southpaw!
Panatta is back on her feet in time for the bell, surviving a late flurry from Dubois even.
Panatta navigates round seven well and actually lands at a better clip than Dubois in round eight.
Two rounds to go.
Caroline Dubois in undercard action ahead of Joshua vs Paul main event
Dubois’s coach Shane McGuigan, speaking to a ringside reporter, says: “She needs to put her combinations together a little bit more, she’s looking for the perfect shot – looking for too many big ones – but this girl [Panatta] is awkward.”
We’re five rounds into this 10-round title bout, which marks Dubois’s US debut – and her debut under Paul’s promotional company, after she left Boxxer recently.
Caroline Dubois in undercard action ahead of Joshua vs Paul main event
The earliest results of the night are in the books!
Yokasta Valle def. Yadira Bustillos via majority decision (95-95, 98-92, 96-94)
Avious Griffin def. Justin Cardona via first-round KO (2:59)
Keno Marley def. Diarra Davis Jr. via unanimous decision (40-35, 40-35, 40-35)
Right now, British world champion Caroline Dubois is in action against Camila Panatta.
Dubois – the sister of Joshua’s last conqueror, Daniel Dubois – is defending her WBC lightweight strap here.
Paul v Joshua final predictions?
Right then, it’s a little while until the main event, but as with every big fight, it’s about now when final predictions must be laid out...
The problem is the mystery to this bout and just what will be a true “surprise”?
Joshua winning in just a few rounds, as many believe he should, may indeed be a surprise, certainly with the bookmakers, who make over 2.5 rounds an odds on play at 8/11.
But even the narrative around an early stoppage for AJ would shock some who are skeptical about Paul’s fights.
You can get 3/1 on the fight going the distance, too, which would stun the boxing world, no matter the eventual winner. Perhaps, privately, Paul would declare that a victory before he makes that highly-anticipated walk to the ring.
Yadira Bustillos fights Yokasta Valle on Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua undercard
Jake Paul chances against Anthony Joshua boosted by rare rule change
Anthony Joshua will be forced to combat a larger ring after Jake Paul implemented a rule change to boost his chances of a stunning upset in the controversial heavyweight boxing match in Miami.
AJ, as the larger man, will be tasked with navigating a larger-than-usual ring for the average professional contest.
That’s because Paul, and his MVP Promotions, have secured a 22-by-22-foot ring for the main event and the entire undercard.
Read more about the influence of the ring size and Eddie Hearn’s thoughts below:
Jake Paul chances against Anthony Joshua boosted by rare rule change
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