As of November 13, 2025 – YES, the fight is officially in negotiations.
Confirmed Details:
• Date: December 2025 (exact day TBD)
• Location: Miami, Florida
• Platform: Netflix (live-streamed, part of their boxing push)
• Weight Class: Heavyweight (no catchweight confirmed yet)
• Background:
• Jake Paul’s **exhibition with Gervonta Davis** fell apart (contract disputes).
• Paul called out **AJ** on social media → talks escalated fast.
• Joshua (28-3, 25 KOs) is coming off a **KO loss to Daniel Dubois** (Sept 2024) and needs a big fight.
• Paul (10-1, 7 KOs) wants to prove he’s **legit** against a former champ.
Sources Confirming:
• Mike Coppinger (ESPN) – first to break it
• Ring Magazine – co-reported
• Ariel Helwani – said “verbal agreements in place”
• Eddie Hearn (AJ’s promoter) – “It’s 80% done. Jake’s team reached out.”
AJ should treat it like Foreman did that exhibition where he fought 6 guys in a night. Start dancing in the middle of the ring. Fight one round with only his left. Sing opera while going for the KO.
I know nothing about boxing rules, but the size difference and experience does not matter to the officials.
Is there not protections for fighters that might be mis-matched before they get into the ring?
Paul vs Davis was going to be an exhibition.
Will the fight be official rules or modified exhibition rules
Fight Rules Status
The rules for a potential Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua bout remain unconfirmed as of November 13, 2025, with reports suggesting it could follow modified exhibition guidelines similar to Paul’s prior heavyweight matchups to address size and experience differences.[1][2] Promoter Eddie Hearn has emphasized that if the fight occurs, it would not be structured as an exhibition but as a legitimate professional bout under standard rules, avoiding any special protections for Paul.[3][4]
Promoter’s Position
Hearn has downplayed premature announcements and stated that Joshua’s camp prioritizes competitive integrity, ruling out exhibition formats that include non-scoring rounds or altered gloves.[4][5] He indicated that any agreement would prioritize official sanctioning, though the significant weight disparity—Joshua at heavyweight versus Paul’s cruiserweight base—might necessitate tweaks for feasibility.[6][3] Hearn’s comments align with Joshua’s career goals, focusing on real fights rather than promotional spectacles.[7]
Potential Modifications and Precedents
Paul’s original plan against Gervonta Davis involved exhibition-style rules, such as 10 three-minute rounds without restrictions, which could carry over if the Joshua fight adopts a similar non-title format.[8][6] However, critics argue that a professional sanctioning body would scrutinize an official heavyweight clash due to the mismatch, potentially leading to exhibition elements like modified rounds or no judges for entertainment value.[9][2] An official announcement is awaited to clarify whether standard boxing rules (12 rounds, judging) or variations will apply, especially with the event eyed for Netflix streaming in December.[10][11]
As for the weight disparity, when Paul met Tyson, he weighed over 227 lbs. And in his last fight, he weighed 199, so he’s got plenty of time to bulk up. It won’t be a problem.
That’s the way I see it.
Both AJ & his promoter, Eddie Hearn, say they’re insisting on complete boxing integrity & if that’s the case, AJ’s not gonna take it easy on Paul. He’ll come up looking to get Paul out of there ASAP, just like he did with Francis. AJ’s a prideful guy, he’s not gonna want Paul to stick around any longer than necessary.
Thanks for posting that. I missed it, so I was just about to come here & blast Paul for being a conman & a coward because he put out a text earlier in the afternoon saying negotiations had bogged down & things didn’t look good. At that point, I suspected that Paul had used AJ & never actually planned on going through with the fight. But it looks like I was wrong.
If this happens and is a real fight not an exhibition… We need to get Jake the best wheelbarrow to carry around his balls in, because they are very big.
Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul … 