MIAMI, FL – NOVEMBER 21: Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua face each other during a press conference for Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua at the Kaseya Center on November 21, 2025 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images for Netflix)
Getty Images for Netflix
It’s really going to happen.
Jake Paul is taking a major step up to face former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua Friday, December 19 in Miami on Netflix. I had the opportunity to sit down with Joshua’s promoter and head of Matchroom Boxing Eddie Hearn recently.
Among other things, we discussed the seemingly improbablebut highly exciting battle between Joshua and influencer-turned-mega-boxing draw, Paul. Hearn didn’t hold back and according to him, neither will Joshua once the fight takes place.
Even with the official match both sides meeting for press conference in Miami on Friday November 21, there are still questions about the upcoming match.
I asked Hearn directly, what will be the rules set for this fight?
Joshua vs Paul will be professional boxing, no gimmicks, says Eddie Hearn
Promoter Eddie Hearn during a press conference at The Leadenhall Building, London. Whittaker will have a title shot against Benjamin Gavazi in Birmingham in his promotional debut on November 29. Photo date: Friday, October 17, 2025. (Photo by Lucy North/PA Images via Getty Images)
PA Images via Getty Images
After being asked about the specific rules for the fight, Hearn clarified that it will not be an exhibition. “Like any professional fight, you know, and we wouldn’t do anything different, which is eight rounds, 10-ounce gloves, eight three-minute rounds,” Hearn said. “The weight is 245 pounds, but that’s only because Jake is coming up from cruiserweight.”
Hearn emphasized that Joshua’s team is not interested in anything other than the legitimate rules of professional boxing. “We would never be interested in exhibitions like big gloves, two-minute rounds, but that’s not boxing,” he said. “You want to step up and fight AJ? That’s how it’s going to happen. So I backed Jake Paul on that. They never asked for anything different. And we wouldn’t accept anything different.”
Eddie Hearn On Anthony Joshua Fighting Jake Paul: ‘No Holding Back’
RIGAD, SAUDI ARABIA – MAY 18: Eddie Hearn, President of Matchroom Sport, and Anthony Joshua, English professional heavyweight boxer, watch from ringside at the Kingdom Arena on May 18, 2024 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)
Getty Images
When asked if Joshua might approach the fight differently given his cruiserweight background and Paul’s limited experience, Hearn was emphatic. “No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You can’t, this is a fight. You can’t hold back,” he said. “You’re trained to go in and destroy it. I mean, that’s what he does. And the sooner this is over, but we don’t like, you know, people saying, Oh, if it goes three, four, five, six, seven rounds, it’s a little embarrassing for AJ.”
Hearn continued: “We don’t play with our food in there. We go to eat and hunt. And as soon as he gets anywhere, as soon as he gets a chance, he unloads everything on his chin.”
Even with Joshua possibly needing to cut down to 245lbs, the lowest he’s weighed in a pro fight since weighing in at 244.5lbs for his rematch with Oleksandr Usyk in August 2022, it still seems unlikely that Paul will pull off the upset. That said, the celebrity and obvious notoriety of both men makes this a must-see fight just before Christmas.
Be on the lookout for coverage and more from my meeting with Hearn in the coming days.
