CROSSOVER BLOCKBUSTER: THE FULL TIMELINE OF JAKE PAUL VS ANTHONY JOSHUA DEAL
The controversial Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua heavyweight fight is happening on December 19. We break down the strange timeline, which includes leaked DMs and the collapse of the Gervonta Davis bout.
Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua went back and forth in 2025 before making a surprise fight deal.
Paul and Joshua are set for a controversial heavyweight fight on Friday, December 19.
The American has been working hard to get his shot at Joshua.
While many are worried about Paul's health taking on the former two-time heavyweight champ, he's staying sure of himself.
You might wonder how this fight happened, so StadiumNest is breaking down the timeline below.
How did it start?
Paul got things going by calling out Joshua on his podcast earlier this year.
He said, "I want to fight Anthony Joshua because I know I will beat Anthony Joshua's ass."
He doesn't have a chin, and he has no skill, and he is stiff.
I love you, Anthony, and we are friends. But I want to fight you.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer then shared that they had been talking behind the scenes about a possible fight.
In June, Paul leaked their private messages: It was all nice; we've been friendly.
[Joshua] DM'd me today saying LOL to one of my training clips, and then I sent him a LOL with a picture of him getting knocked out by Daniel Dubois.
So I guess we're trash-talking a bit behind the scenes. But I have a lot of love for Anthony Joshua.
I think this is funny, and he's a great guy, and I think a fight between us would be awesome, and I believe I can win.
Joshua then shared a screenshot of a phone call with 'The Problem Child,' writing '2026' with a zipped-lips emoji.
They seemed to have agreed to fight in 2026, as Paul was planning to meet Gervonta Davis in an exhibition match first.
What was stopping Paul vs. Joshua?
Paul and Joshua had some issues getting their fight done.
Turki Alalshikh's Ring Magazine said talks fell apart over the network since Joshua has a deal with DAZN.
It seemed their fight was off when Paul vs. Davis was announced, even though Joshua was in talks with the 28-year-old.
Joshua wanted to fight again, having been out of action since losing to Dubois in September 2024, so he looked for other options.
When the superstar's promoter, Eddie Hearn, was asked about his fighter's plan, he said, "I won't speak for him, but I don't think we will commit to that fight until Tank has fought him in November.
“We are not going to wait until November to make our move, so it is likely Anthony Joshua will fight in January or February against someone else.
“But Tank is Tank; who knows? They still have to make sure that the fight happens. We knew Jake would take a fight this side of the year, but it is what it is.”
As the options for the 36-year-old to fight this year got fewer, a surprise brought Paul back into the picture.
What changed?
Paul called off his fight with Davis when 'Tank' was accused of battery, aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping, and emotional distress.
He then released a list of potential opponents in November, with Joshua as a top target again.
While it seemed unlikely, it was reported that they were 'finalising terms' to finally fight before the new year.
The official announcement came days later, with the Kaseya Centre in Miami hosting the showdown.
Now, Paul and Joshua are lacing up their gloves to settle their beef live on Netflix this weekend.
GERVONTA DAVIS ARRESTED IN MIAMI ON BATTERY, KIDNAPPING, AND FALSE IMPRISONMENT CHARGES
Gervonta Davis is in custody after a two-week manhunt. Facing kidnapping charges, the star has been stripped of his WBA title.
Gervonta Davis, who’s a three-division world champ and one of boxing’s biggest names, landed in jail Wednesday in Miami—almost two weeks after police put out a warrant for his arrest. They’re accusing him of battery, false imprisonment, and attempted kidnapping tied to an alleged domestic violence incident from last fall.
Police in Miami Gardens said they tracked Davis for several days across three counties, working with the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force. When they caught up with him in Miami’s Design District, he didn’t put up a fight. They booked him into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Centre late Wednesday.
Cops say all this goes back to something that happened on October 27 at a strip club in Miami Gardens. The woman at the centre of the case used to date Davis and was working there as a VIP cocktail server that night. Police claim Davis confronted her inside, forced her into a back room, assaulted her, then kept her restrained before taking her outside.
In the report, police say Davis grabbed her by the hair and throat, threatened her, and led her out to the parking lot, where he finally let her go. She found coworkers, got help, and called the police. Officers say she had visible bruises on her arm.
She told investigators she met Davis back in 2022. They dated for a few months in 2025, but she broke things off about a month before the incident and had stopped talking to him.
Besides going to the police, she also filed a civil lawsuit against Davis for battery, false imprisonment, and kidnapping. Her attorney said the police investigation lines up with what she claimed in her suit.
“The investigation led to a judge signing off on the arrest warrant,” her attorney said back in January. “That matches the allegations in the lawsuit.”
Court records show her lawyers tried over and over to serve Davis with the lawsuit, but couldn’t find him for weeks.
At a press conference on January 14, Miami Gardens police called it a domestic violence case and said they were working with federal agents to track Davis down. When asked for more details Wednesday night, police said they couldn’t share anything else because the case is still active.
Last fall, Davis was in Miami training for a big fight with influencer Jake Paul, set for November at Kaseya Centre. Once the lawsuit hit the news, Davis was taken off the card, and Anthony Joshua stepped in. Davis last fought in March, when he held onto his WBA lightweight title after a controversial draw with Lamont Roach Jr in Brooklyn.
But over the weekend, WBA president Gilberto Mendoza announced they stripped Davis of the title, pointing to the legal case and his long absence from the ring. Davis has only defended the title twice in three years—most recently against Roach, which was more than ten months ago—and he doesn’t have another fight lined up.
This isn’t Davis’s first run-in with the law. He’s had several domestic violence allegations in Florida and elsewhere, though many were later dropped. In 2023, he got three years’ probation and some house arrest for a hit-and-run in Baltimore.
Right now, it’s not clear if these new Florida charges will mess with his probation in Maryland or delay any future fights. Jail and court records didn’t say when he’ll first appear in court in Miami-Dade.
Miami Gardens police say their investigation is still going and aren’t commenting further.
OFFICIAL: TYSON FURY TO FIGHT ARSLANBEK MAKHMUDOV LIVE ON NETFLIX APRIL 11
Tyson Fury is back! The "Gypsy King" ends his retirement to face Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11 in Netflix's first live UK show.
Netflix keeps pushing deeper into the sports world, and boxing is turning out to be a real crowd-pleaser. Now, on April 11, they’re gearing up for another big night: Tyson Fury is stepping out of retirement to face Arslanbek Makhmudov. It’s not just another fight—this will be Netflix’s first-ever live event in the UK.
Fury seems pumped. “Excited to be back,” he said in a statement. “Heart’s always been and always will be in boxing. Someone go tell the king that the ace is back!” The last time he fought was back in December 2024, but you can tell he still feels right at home in the ring.
Gabe Spitzer, who handles sports at Netflix, is just as thrilled. He called Fury one of the most resilient and fascinating fighters of his generation. “His career is all about beating the odds, and there’s just something electric about watching him fight,” Spitzer said. “We can’t wait to see him back for this homecoming, and we love giving our members a front-row seat to the next chapter of the Gypsy King’s story.”
The event’s getting the royal treatment too—Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority chairman, Turki Alalshikh, is presenting, along with Sela and The Ring. Alalshikh’s name comes up a lot in combat sports these days. Saudi Arabia keeps landing some of the sport’s biggest fights, and the country even helped launch the Zuffa Boxing promotion with TKO.
“We’re happy Tyson decided to come out of retirement for what should be an exciting heavyweight clash against Makhmudov,” Alalshikh said.
Fury hasn’t fought since those back-to-back losses to Oleksandr Usyk in 2024, but his name still draws a crowd. A comeback fight in the UK—his home turf, where he hasn’t fought since 2022—only adds to the buzz.
For Netflix, Fury vs. Makhmudov is another notch in their belt. Last year, they pulled in huge numbers with several boxing shows, especially the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua fight in December. That one alone racked up over 33 million views around the world. Clearly, Netflix is betting big on boxing, and fans seem happy to watch.