Anthony Joshua has managed to clear the weight limit for his fight against Jake Paul, but will boast an almost two stone advantage over the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
The two-time world heavyweight champion from Britain has never been able to weigh more than 245lbs, but when he tipped the scales for his fight with Paul in Miami early Saturday morning UK time, he weighed 243.4lbs (17th 5lbs).
Paul weighed in at 216 pounds (15 pounds, 6 pounds) ahead of the 14th fight of his boxing career.
AJ is at his lightest weight since his first fight against Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021 at 240 pounds, but he will be nearly two stone heavier against the YouTube star.
The American took to the stage first for the official weigh-in on Thursday, flexing his muscles before shouting to the crowd, “I’m dialed in.”
In contrast, former world heavyweight AJ stood confident and calm, giving a simple thumbs up as he checked his weight, capturing his seemingly relaxed approach to Friday’s fight.
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Ahead of his bout with former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, let’s take a look at Jake Paul’s boxing resume.
The eight-round sanctioned bout, using 10-ounce gloves, will take place at the Caseya Center in Florida, with Joshua returning to the ring for the first time since his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024.
22 x 22 foot rings have also been seen, which is larger than the typical 20 feet but still within standard regulations.
This is the second time Paul has weighed in above the cruiserweight limit, the only other time being against 58-year-old Mike Tyson.
“This is Giants vs. Patriots in 2007,” Paul said in a press conference. “I mean, the list goes on, the odds are stacked against me.
“No sports team in history has competed together with such vast differences in skill, experience, resume, height, weight, etc. So this is going to be the biggest upset in sports history, and you’re going to witness it.”
Joshua first became world heavyweight champion in 2016. At the time, his opponent was only 19 years old and appearing on a Disney Channel show.
However, in 2020, Paul made his professional boxing debut and currently holds a record of 12 wins and 1 loss, with his only loss coming to Tyson Fury’s younger brother Tommy Fury in 2023.
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Check out the best shots from the press conference ahead of Anthony Joshua vs. Jake Paul. Photo courtesy of MVP Promotions and Netflix. Jake vs Joshua will be live exclusively on Netflix and included in all plans starting December 20th at 1am GMT
Does Paul really have a chance?
In preparation for this fight, Paul has been sparring with top heavyweight contenders, including former world champion Lawrence Okolie.
Okolie, who won world titles at cruiserweight and bridgerweight, admitted after spending a training camp with Paul that he was surprised by his boxing skills.
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Heavyweight Lawrence Okolie believes Jake Paul has a “chance” to pull off an upset by defeating two-time world champion Anthony Joshua
“They ran a great camp there,” Okolie said. “It looked like any world title camp I’ve ever seen or held myself.
“He’s a lot better now than when I first saw him. Honestly, when I was told I was going to fight AJ, I was scared of him.
“If he boxed the way he sparred, there’s a good chance he could look really good.
“Jake is a lot better than I expected. I think he has a very good boxing brain, good application and good guts.
“I think the fight will depend on the first two or three rounds and how he approaches them. If he approaches them like he did in sparring, he’ll have a very good chance and look good. People will be very shocked.”
“I’m more important than AJ in boxing!”
Joshua admits he understands why some boxing fans want him to quit ‘The Jake Paul Show’, but Paul insists he has had a positive impact on the sport.
“No one has contributed more to the sport of boxing over the past 10 years than me,” Paul said.
“So if people care about boxing, they want me to win.
“But I can see where they’re coming from in the sense that he’s been doing that all his life.
“But I think I’m more important to boxing, so if they care about boxing, they want me to win.”
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Anthony Joshua didn’t hold back on how he plans to beat Jake Paul in their Dec. 19 fight in Miami. Photo courtesy of Most Valuable Promotions
