Jake Paul knew the odds were stacked against him in his fight against Anthony “AJ” Joshua, a two-time unified world heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist. Paul, the YouTube content creator turned professional boxer, lasted six rounds before Joshua knocked him out, breaking his jaw in two places.
The Paul-Joshua bout was the main event Friday at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida, with Netflix live-streaming the fight card. In their fight, Joshua knocked Paul down in the fourth, fifth, and sixth rounds, ultimately securing the victory with a knockout at 1:31 of the sixth round.
Stars: Jake Paul, Anthony Joshua, Michael James Nuells
In a post on X after the fight, Paul wrote, “Broken jaw. Heart and guts intact. Time to rest, recover, and move back down to cruiserweight.” He also posted an X-ray of his “double broken jaw” and added, “I want to fight Canelo in 10 days.”
At a post-fight press conference, Joshua said, “Jake did well while it lasted… I wish I would have knocked him out early, but as we saw tonight, Jake has spirit. He has courage. He gave it his all, and I take my hat off to him because, first of all, a lot of boxers haven’t gotten in the ring with me, and Jake did. And secondly, even when he got knocked down, he kept trying to get up, and I take my hat off to him. So, America, I think you have someone who, if he still has the courage, could come back, dust himself off, and try again, and maybe fill this stadium sometime in 2026.”
Paul, 28, rose to fame on YouTube before beginning his boxing career. He and his brother, Logan Paul, starred in the reality series “Paul American,” which premiered on HBO Max earlier this year. Last year, Jake Paul endorsed Donald Trump for president, comparing Trump's felony convictions to the situation faced by the Founding Fathers of the United States in their fight for independence from the British monarchy.
According to boxing promoter Most Valuable Promotions, the event set a new record as the highest-grossing boxing match in Kaseya Center history. A replay of the Paul vs. Joshua fight, along with several undercard bouts, is currently available on Netflix. Attendees at the fight included Netflix Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria, Rick Ross, Benny Safdie, Bert Kreischer, Dave Portnoy, Young Thug, Ryan Serhant, Trippie Redd, Tekashi 69, Ty Dolla $ign, Timbaland, Matt Rife, Rory McIlroy, Brandon Marshall, Michael Irvin, Juan Soto, Kay Adams, Shaggy, Antonio Tarver, Rolando Romero, Paulie Malignaggi, and MVP fighters Shadasia Green, Lucas Bahdi, and Wanna Walton.
In a surprise announcement before Paul and Joshua entered the ring, Dave Chappelle revealed he would be releasing a new comedy special, "The Unstoppable," on Netflix after the fight.
Paul was originally scheduled to fight boxer Gervonta "Tank" Davis in November, but that fight was canceled after Davis was sued for an alleged domestic violence incident.
In November 2024, Netflix streamed Paul's record-breaking fight against Mike Tyson, which drew an estimated average minute audience (AMA) of 108 million live viewers globally. (Paul defeated Tyson in the eight-round fight by unanimous decision.) The Paul-Tyson fight was the most-watched live sporting event streamed to date, according to Netflix. "We managed to attract an audience similar to the Super Bowl," said Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos at an investor conference after that event.
For Netflix, whose executives once dismissed the company's entry into live sports, the Jake Paul vs. Joshua fight is part of a growing slate of live events on the platform. "WWE Raw" airs weekly on Netflix worldwide. Starting in 2026, it will stream select Major League Baseball games. And this month, Netflix is once again presenting an exclusive NFL doubleheader on Christmas Day, featuring the Dallas Cowboys against the Washington Commanders and the Detroit Lions against the Minnesota Vikings. Earlier this week, Netflix announced the hiring of former ESPN host Elle Duncan as its first sports presenter.
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