The 36-year-old Briton is the heavy favourite with the bookies as he seeks a straightforward win ahead of a big 2026, a year which is expected to include a February fight in Riyadh before a high-profile bout in September, potentially against Tyson Fury, in either London or Saudi Arabia.
Anthony Joshua at open workouts this week
Getty Images for Netflix
Main event ring-walks for Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua – taking place this Friday, December 19, at the 19,600-capacity Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida – are expected around 10.30pm ET, which is 3.30am in the UK.
How much will Paul and Joshua be paid for fight?
It was initially reported that Paul and Joshua would evenly split a $184million fight purse, taking home just shy of £70m each.
However, it has since been claimed that the fight may actually be worth as much as $267m (£200m) – in which case both men could be set for a roughly £100m payday.
That apparent claim comes from Paul himself, who last month posted on social media: “Stop asking me. $267 Million.”
Both figures would eclipse the payday Paul enjoyed from his lucrative bout against Tyson – the 28-year-old American’s only previous foray into the heavyweight realm – last year, from which he reportedly took home $40m (about £30m).
Joshua, meanwhile, is said to have received a $75m payday from his second fight with Oleksandr Usyk, and $72m from his 2019 win over Andy Ruiz Jr.
However, the Briton told TMZ in the lead-up to this latest bout that the purse he’ll receive against Paul won’t dwarf the other paydays he’s banked.
“Unfortunately, it’s not [the biggest purse of my career],” he told the US media outlet, seemingly casting doubt on the lofty figured touted by Paul.
