Love it or loathe it, there’s no escaping it — Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua is Friday night in Miami.
This weekend of action needs no introduction.
Love it or loathe it, there’s no escaping it — Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua is Friday night in Miami, and the noise around it has been impossible to ignore.
After five years of boxing in relatively controlled environments, Paul finally steps into a bout that offers no safety net, no asterisks and no soft landing. This is his chance to silence the skeptics and show that he belongs in the sport as more than just a novelty act chasing headlines.
For Joshua, the responsibility — and the opportunity — sits squarely in his fists. One emphatic statement against the YouTuber-turned-boxer would not only bring the Paul experiment to a crashing halt, but also send “AJ” into 2026 with momentum, relevance and the attention of a U.S. audience suddenly invested in the next chapter of his career.
But that’s not all that’s happening …
Let’s take a closer look at the five biggest things to look out for this weekend in the world of boxing:
1. Just how quickly will Joshua flatten Paul?
It feels less like a question of "if" and more of a matter of when Paul will get flattened Friday night — and that view isn’t rooted in any lack of respect.
I’ve long since run out of ways to dress up how brave Paul is for taking this fight, but bravery has a habit of bleeding into recklessness when the gap is this vast. There’s a thin line between the two, and Paul is straddling it.
Joshua is levels above him in every conceivable department, several rungs higher on every ladder you care to climb. I don’t doubt for a second that AJ stops Paul on Friday, but there’s just enough curiosity in the chaos to make it unmissable as a spectacle.
Strip it back and it’s boxing in its rawest form. “Step right up, place your bets, and see how long the smaller novice can survive with a seasoned professional before getting knocked out.”
One round? Two? Three?
After a brief spell of sizing his man up, it will last precisely as long as Joshua decides it should — and you can take that to the bank.
2. Is any result win-win for Paul’s boxing career?
There’s every chance this is just another colossal marketing exercise from Jake Paul — albeit one that could come with a very real physical cost.
Even if Paul ends the night face down and unconscious, he still gets to walk away claiming he had the nerve to share a ring with an athlete as big, powerful and proven as Anthony Joshua.
The sheer number of eyes that will land on this Netflix card only drags Most Valuable Promotions further into the mainstream, and the inevitable memes that follow will do nothing but extend Paul’s reach globally in a sport he appears genuinely invested in.
And it’s worth remembering: He’s rebuilt before. After losing to Tommy Fury in 2023, he somehow found himself back in the spotlight mixing it up with — checks notes — Mike Tyson.
Wins don’t always end with your hand raised, and Paul might just be playing the long game.
3. “Sweet” Caroline makes her MVP and Netflix debut
Just over a week ago, WBC lightweight champion Caroline Dubois was still in kind of a career limbo.
The 24-year-old had turned down two offers from Most Valuable Promotions in an attempt to lure her away from Boxxer and had nothing lineup up in terms of action.
But a week in boxing can change a lot. Finally agreeing to terms on the third offer — joining a host of female talent, including world champions Ellie Scotney and Alycia Baumgardner — and Dubois is now an MVP fighter, and even better, has been thrown onto the undercard in Miami on Friday night.
Dubois defends her WBC title at 135 pounds against Italy’s Camilla Panatta in what is expected to be a routine victory, before moving into a busy 2026 where the hit list is plentiful for “Sweet” Caroline.
Dubois has grown rapidly in ability and confidence over the past 18 months, and she’s targeting Baumgardner and fellow Brit Terri Harper next year in an attempt to follow in her big brother’s successful footsteps of headlining major cards.
4. Oh no, Ike Ibeabuchi’s back (again)
After making his return to the ring in August following a 26-year absence, Ike “The President” Ibeabuchi is back (again) on Christmas Eve (obviously) fighting 45-year-old Kabiru Towolawi.
Headlining a fight card called “Redemption” in Lagos, Nigeria, Ibeabuchi continues his quest to become world heavyweight champion at 52.
The card will be streamed on prizefighting.tv, and there is a heavy lean on the narrative that Ibeabuchi is en route to bigger and better things in the sport, specifically breaking then-45-year-old George Foreman's record as the oldest heavyweight champion.
If delusion is your cup of tea, then check out the press release championing Ibeabuchi’s second coming:
“If Ike can dismantle a tough, active opponent like Kabiru, the comeback is no longer a 'story' — it is a reality. The fact that he has maintained his physique and his focus for nearly three decades should strike fear into the hearts of current champions. He isn't just fighting for a paycheck; he is fighting for a miracle.”
5. Richards vs. Azeez headlines Matchroom’s Ghana show
Speaking of Africa, Matchroom is in Ghana on Saturday night to promote itrs first show on the African continent.
British light heavyweights Craig Richards and Dan Azeez headline a bill inside Accra's Legon Sports Stadium in a real crossroads fight between two extremely likable fighters.
A loss for either Richards (35) or Azeez (36) would surely push him close to the exit door of a sport that has provided them both with the esteemed British title and numerous nights of domestic barnburners.
But for the winner? A big night in the opposite corner to rising Ben Whittaker could be the prize on offer.
Category: General Sports
