Anthony Joshua will make a surprise return to the ring next month in a blockbuster showdown with Jake Paul, with organisers confirming the bout will be staged in Miami on December 19.
The heavyweight clash, set to stream live worldwide on Netflix, comes with an extraordinary £140million prize fund that will be split evenly between the two fighters.
The Kaseya Center will host the contest, which falls just six days before Christmas and marks Joshua’s first appearance since his heavy defeat to Daniel Dubois more than a year ago.
For Paul, the event represents the biggest test of his boxing experiment to date.
The 28-year-old American has compiled 12 wins from 13 professional outings since leaving YouTube fame behind, with his only defeat coming on points to Tommy Fury.
Never shy of backing himself, Paul has branded the Miami showdown “Judgment Day” and issued a bold warning to the former two-time unified heavyweight world champion.
“This isn't an AI simulation. This is Judgment Day,” he said as the fight was announced.
Anthony Joshua will make a surprise return to the ring next month in a blockbuster showdown with Jake Paul, with organisers confirming the bout will be staged in Miami on December 19
|PA
“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.”
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Anthony Joshua hasn't fought since losing to Daniel Dubois last September | PAPaul had originally been scheduled to face Gervonta “Tank” Davis in an exhibition at the same arena in November, but that event collapsed following Davis’ arrest over multiple allegations.
With the November bout scrapped, Paul’s team moved quickly to secure a new headline opponent for December, with Joshua ultimately emerging as the selected contender.
The 36-year-old had been expected to take a low-profile warm-up fight after the defeat to Dubois, with promoter Eddie Hearn previously suggesting a top-100 opponent had been lined up.
But the scale of the financial package put forward for the Paul fight altered those plans, drawing Joshua into what is now one of the most lucrative events of the year.
Hearn has long spoken of a wider road map aimed at guiding Joshua back towards a super-fight with Tyson Fury, potentially in 2026, a contest Saudi official Turki Alalshikh has openly pursued.
Joshua is understood to have already agreed terms on his side for the Fury bout, although Fury’s own intentions remain uncertain.
Jake Paul is a confident he'll beat Anthony Joshua
| GETTYThe match-up with Paul will be staged as a fully sanctioned professional heavyweight bout under Queensberry rules.
Though Joshua remains tied to an exclusive broadcast agreement with DAZN, special arrangements have been made to allow him to compete on Netflix for this event, with reports suggesting DAZN received substantial compensation to permit the one-off switch.
Both fighters will meet face to face at a press conference in Miami on Friday, where further details of the promotion are expected to be unveiled.
How the actual showdown plays out next month is something only time will tell.