This weekend in Miami, a boxing spectacle unlike any other will unfold as YouTube sensation turned prizefighter Jake Paul squares off against Britain's former two-time world heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua. The professional bout, set for 19 December 2025 and streamed live on Netflix, is generating headlines not just for its unusual matchup but for the astronomical sums of money involved.
The Staggering Numbers Behind the Fight
In the days before the fight was officially confirmed, reports suggested a colossal shared purse of around £140m ($184m). However, Jake Paul himself later took to social media platform X to state the total figure was a staggering $267 million, which converts to approximately £200m. If split evenly, each fighter could pocket upwards of £100m.
This potential payday dwarfs Paul's previous lucrative outing against Mike Tyson in November 2024, where he reportedly earned $40m. For Anthony Joshua, known as 'AJ', this represents one of the biggest financial prizes of his storied career, which includes victories over legends like Wladimir Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin.
A Turning Point for Boxing Promotion
Sports and entertainment accountant Oriana Morrison highlighted the significance of the purse, telling The Independent: "We haven’t seen a boxing match with a purse at this level since Mayweather vs Pacquiao in 2015." She noted it even surpasses the purses offered for recent major fights in Saudi Arabia.
Morrison also pointed to the broader impact of the event, stating that Paul and his promotion company, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), are "dragging new audiences into boxing" and "forcing boxing to modernise its promotion and pay fighters better than established promoters." This fight, she suggests, is a perfect showcase for Joshua's talent to a massive US audience.
The Fighters' Form and Stakes
Anthony Joshua, 36, enters the ring as the overwhelming favourite but comes off a brutal stoppage loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024. Jake Paul, 28, boasts a professional record of 12-1. His last two victories were a points decision over heavyweight icon Mike Tyson and a win on the scorecards against former world middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr in June 2025.
The bout is sanctioned as a full professional contest, with knockouts permitted and standard 10-ounce gloves in use. While the sporting stakes are high, the financial rewards for both men are set to be truly historic, marking a new era in the business of boxing.
