On Friday, December 19, Jake Paul (12-1, 7KOs) might have bitten off more than he can chew as he takes on former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (28-4, 25 KOs) in an eight-round official boxing match.

This Paul vs. Joshua bout headlines a 10-fight card, billed as “Judgement Day,” that will stream live on Netflix from the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. While many of Paul’s previous events have been more of a farce than something to take seriously, this weekend’s fight is being treated like a legitimate boxing card.

Netflix will have Mauro Ranallo as lead commentator, with David Haye and Crystina Poncher joining in on the analysis. Ariel Helwani will be the ringside reporter, while Sibley Scoles provides the backstage news and Sean Wheelock serves as the rules analyst.

The fight-night desk will have Kate Scott alongside Lennox Lewis, Andre Ward and Laila Ali. There’s clearly a wealth of boxing and fight sports talent to make this even feel important despite what the boxing odds indicate.

Paul last fought in June, and defeated Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. via unanimous decision. That bout came roughly seven months after the infamous Mike Tyson fight on Netflix in November 2024. Paul enters this clash on a six-fight winning streak.

Joshua hasn’t been in the ring for nearly 15 months, when we last saw him losing to Daniel Dubois via 5^th round KO. The loss snapped a four-fight winning streak and has seemingly sent the former world champion in a different direction for his career.

Let’s take a look at the latest Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul odds, courtesy of the top sports betting sites, and make our Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua predictions. You can also check out what the top handicappers are picking and compare them with our analysis.

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Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua Preview

Check out the latest Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua tale of the tape:

Jake Paul Recent Fights

Jake Paul has been the more active fighter between these two participants. As mentioned above, he last competed in June 2025, where cruised to a unanimous decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (54-7-1, 34 KOs). Paul won via the scores of 97-93, 98-92, and 99-91.

Last year, Paul fought three times and was successful in all of those events. He started off the year beating Ryan Bourland in March 2024, via 1^st round TKO. He followed that up with a 6^th round TKO win over Mike Perry in July 2024, which was a surprise considering the challenger’s striking skills in MMA.

Then, we have the Mike Tyson fight in November 2024, which was a disaster inside the ring. Tyson looked gassed and slow. In fact, he looked disinterested despite the lengthy and dramatic build up to the fight. Paul won that fight via unanimous decision. It was a merciful end to a sad tale of Tyson’s career.

As for this weekend’s bout against Joshua, Paul is giving up six inches in reach and five inches in height. Not to mention, he’s facing a former world champion who is still lightyears ahead of the younger Paul brother. The influencer turned boxer, had the following comments about his upcoming fight:

“I’m knocking him out. I’m knocking him out,” Paul said emphatically. “1,000 percent. It’s gonna happen… I have a very tall mountain to climb, my biggest challenge in front of me, and I think that’s been the focus for me, Nakisa and MVP, just getting through December 19th.”

Jake Paul Odds

Paul opened as a +1500 underdog for this Dec. 19 fight. He’s currently sitting at a range of +550 to +750 odds. This is the first time that Paul has been the underdog since he fought Tommy Fury in February 2023.

In his last fight, June 2025, Paul was a -500 to -700 favorite against Cesar Chavez Jr. He was also a sizable favorite (-175 to -225) against Mike Tyson. His largest favorite status came against Ryan Bourland in March 2024, where he closed at -2500 to -5000 odds.

Anthony Joshua Recent Fights

Anthony Joshua has seen the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in the sport of boxing. He is a former two-time world heavyweight champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist.

The biggest shock of Joshua’s career came in 2019, when he lost to Andy Ruiz via 7^th round TKO. Joshua was a massive -2500 favorite and ended up getting stopped. He would avenge that loss six months later.

Three years later, Joshua would run into Usyk who stopped him twice. However, both were via decision. In fact, their rematch in April 2023, saw Joshua lose via split decision despite winning on one of the judge’s scorecards.

Following those losses, Joshua put together a four-fight winning streak that saw him stop Otto Wallin in the 5^th round (2023) and KO Francis Ngannou in March 2024.

Then came his IBF title fight against Daniel Dubois in September 2024. He ended up getting dropped by Dubois in the 5^th round. It was a devastating loss as Joshua was knocked down four times before the fight ended.

With that said, it was surprising to see Joshua step in to face Paul on short notice. He was not the original opponent. Yet, he’s definitely making for an intriguing matchup. Joshua made the following comments about Paul:

“I think Jake is someone where I’ve got to beat him mentally, because he’s a mental person. If I can break his soul, and I can break his mentality, then I’ve broken Jake. That’s why I say I’ve got to take his soul. It’s not just physical, I’ve got to take your soul in the ring. I want to break him down spiritually and mentally.”

Anthony Joshua Odds

Joshua opened as a massive favorite over Paul with -5000 odds. Since then, his line has come down to a range of -900 to -1500. Paul has been a favorite in all of his fights since dropping two bouts in a row to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022.

Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua Predictions

I have a hard time believing that this fight is legit. Joshua is an active fighter with a weight, height and reach advantage over Paul. Not to mention, he’s a former Olympic gold medalist and two-time world champion. This isn’t a washed-up fighter or a senior citizen that Paul is fighting. This is a Bonafide boxer with the skills to crush him.

With that said, I share the same sentiments as the former world champion Deontay Wilder:

“In my opinion, it’s scripted a little bit because of the weight difference and Joshua’s a former champion and also he’s current, he’s active. This is going to be the first time we see Paul fighting an active fighter. We’ve seen the Mike Tyson (fight). That was all fun. That was cute. It was fun and games, but now you’re dealing with a real professional.”

Joshua should win this fight convincingly, if it’s a real boxing match. While I am picking the British heavyweight to win, I just don’t trust that this isn’t more sports entertainment than it is sports.

Bet: Anthony Joshua (-1200)

The Best Paul vs. Joshua Prop Bets

Let’s take a look at some of the best Paul vs. Joshua prop bets:

Over/Under 2.5 rounds

• Over 2.5 (-145)
• Under 2.5 (+115)

I have a hard time thinking that this fight will end quickly. If it does, then it will be an epic disaster for Paul, his promotion, and Netflix, as well. A drawn-out fight that makes the underdog look like a credible boxer will make more money for Paul, Netflix and everyone else who eats off his table.

Despite the gap in skills, and the obvious size difference, I’m taking this fight to go Over 2.5 rounds.

Bet: Over 2.5 (-145)

Will Fight go the distance?

• Yes (+350)
• No (-555)

For Joshua, he’s gone the distance in just five of his 32 pro bouts. For Paul, he’s gone the distance in six of his 13 pro bouts. The only way this fight goes the distance is if it’s a farce. So, I am taking the “No” option. Yet, I still believe we see the midway point of this eight-round bout.

Bet: No (-555)

Method of Victory

• Paul via TKO/KO/DQ (+1200)
• Paul via decision (+1600)
• Joshua via TKO/KO/DQ (-400)
• Joshua via decision (+450)
• Draw (+2200)

Once again, the only way this fight doesn’t end with a KO win for Joshua is if it’s fixed. In other words, this is either a sports entertainment event or a real fight. The outcome will show everyone what it really is.

Bet: Joshua via TKO/KO/DQ (-400)

Betting on Rounds

• Either Winner in rounds 1-4 (-225)
• Either Winner in rounds 5-8 (+450)
• Fight To Go The Distance (+350)

For entertainment purposes, and to keep the Jake Paul money train rolling along, I think this fight goes into the latter rounds before Joshua wins. Then again, part of me still believes that there will be some integrity with this contest.

Bet: Either Winner in rounds 5-8 (+450)

What’s Next For The Paul vs. Joshua Winner?

It’s wide open as to what’s next for each fighter. If Anthony Joshua wins as expected, I would imagine he turns his attention towards fighting a top-ranked heavyweight in order to get back into world title contention.

Joshua has been training with Usyk’s team this year and believes that surrounding himself with winners will help him get back to the top of the sport.

If Paul wins, which would only happen if this matchup is scripted, then he would try to chase after a world title in the cruiserweight division. The WBC has previously said they would give him a world title shot if he earned some big wins.

Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua Fight Card

The following is the latest “Judgement Day” fight card:

• Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua in an 8 round heavyweight bout
• Anderson Silva vs. Tyron Woodley in a 6 round cruiserweight clash
• (c)Alycia Baumgardner vs. Leila Beaudoin in a 12 round women’s super-featherweight world title fight
• (c)Caroline Dubois vs. Camila Panatta in a 10 round WBC women’s lightweight title bout
• (c)Cherneka Johnson vs. Amanda Galle in a 10 round undisputed women’s bantamweight championship contest
• (c)Yokasta Valle vs. Yadira Bustillos in a 10 round WBC women’s strawweight bout
• Avious Griffin vs. Justin Cardona in an 8 round welterweight clash
• Jahmal Harvey vs. Kevin Cervantes in a 6 round super featherweight fight
• Keno Marley vs. Diarra Davis Jr. in a 4 round cruiserweight contest