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.
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
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Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
