It is now 15 months since Anthony Joshua last stepped into a professional boxing ring, but it was all part of the plan.
Joshua decided after his devastating loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024 that he needed to reset his life, not just his boxing career. He was trying to combine a job as an elite heavyweight and an elite businessman outside of the ropes.
After that shocking fifth-round knockout defeat at Wembley Stadium last year AJ (now 28-4 with 25 knockouts) made the decision to take a year out of the game to get his house, and his business dealings, in order. It also gave him the chance to properly heal his body as he underwent elbow surgery in May.
READ MORE: Joshua vs Jake Paul – all the big questions, answered
Now we get to see the ‘new and rejuvenated’ AJ in a fight that few expected – that crossover blockbuster vs Jake Paul in Miami on Friday night (December 19). The bout pits a two-time world heavyweight king against a YouTuber who boasts a 12-1 record against a strange assortment of ‘retired’ boxers, former MMA stars and ‘celebrities’.
Joshua (1/9 with the oddsmakers) is expected to make easy work of ‘The Problem Child’ in an eight-rounder which could draw an audience of more than 100million viewers on the global streaming platform Netflix.
AJ ready for Jake Paul test
The sheer physical difference between the two men, never mind the shocking gulf in the quality of their boxing resumes, was clear when they met for a press conference to announce the fight late last month. It is no wonder the 36-year-old Watford superstar is feeling very very confident heading into the bout. That year out appears to have him in a very very good place.
Joshua said: “I always say this: For every time you win, there’s a reason. For every time you lose, there’s a reason. So, why I pause is because, when you lose you tend to take a deeper look at yourself, and take time to figure out what went wrong. I had to look at the reasons why I lost. And I said to myself, I think I need a bit of time.
“Cuz I predicted this moment in, like, 2018? Not the loss, but the work I was taking on was a lot. I was moving at one hundred miles an hour. Inside training, preparing for fights, working outside of boxing. And for any man, or any woman at some stage, they probably need a bit of a, a bit of a reset. So I come to that stage, really, in 2025 where I was at a time and I thought, you know, I probably need a year out of the game.
“The question is, should Anthony Joshua fight Jake Paul? Who knows? But we’re going to do it anyway.”
Joshua and Team Usyk
Joshua will have a new team in his corner for Friday night’s massive showdown in Miami – he has clearly decided that if you cannot beat them, then join them. He has teamed up with the corner which has powered the great Oleksandr Usyk to undisputed titles at cruiserweight and heavyweight.
He said: “I need to be that guy that ain’t so accessible for a little bit. I took a step outside of the, the hot seat. Got to work on myself and got to shuffle the deck of cards that I had, that I had uh, been dealt. After 12 months, interestingly, I found myself back in training in, uh, Valencia. With erm, the team that trained Lomachenko and trained Usyk. Listen: You want to win? Surround yourself with winners – and they’re winners.”
Many experts do not believe AJ vs Jake will last more than one round and should it go the distance then it will surely be seen as failure for the British great. Despite that risk element, Joshua says he will stick to the gameplan on Friday night.
“December 19th is a mix of things, if I’m honest with you,” he reasoned.
“But obviously the first bell is gonna go. I need to understand Jake Paul’s rhythm. I need to understand his negatives, his positives, and then obviously I’m going to exploit them. What I’m gonna do, personally, is be at the highest point of self. Everything that I’ve watched the greats do, I’m just gonna do exactly what I need to do.
What is next for AJ?
There is another big reason for AJ not to mess up on Friday night – the massive 2026 bag he just cannot afford to fumble.
Joshua has a reported two-fight deal with Saudi Arabia worth a reported nine figures (that is in excess of £100million to you and me) waiting for him. A bad performance against Paul might well put that in jeopardy.
It is likely AJ will be out again early in 2026, before he finally meets great British rival Tyson Fury in either August or September. Hopefully that eagerly-awaited fight will take place in front of 100,000 fans at Wembley Stadium.
Joshua vs Jake start time and TV
The fight in Miami is due to start in the early hours of Saturday December 20 in the UK, or late Friday in Miami. Set your alarms for around 0300 UK (10pm Friday on the East Coast) to be sure of hitting the main event.
The bout, as we said, will stream live globally on Netflix and it will be FREE to existing subscribers.
