<p>It's official. <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/boxing/boxer-profiles/jake-paul">Jake Paul</a> is fighting <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/boxing/boxer-profiles/anthony-joshua">Anthony Joshua</a>.&nbsp;Yes, that Anthony Joshua: the two-time unified heavyweight champion, Olympic gold medalist, and one of the most dangerous punchers in boxing.</p> <p>The fight goes down on Friday, December 19th at the Kaseya Center in Miami, streaming live on Netflix. For fans in Australia, that's a noon start on Saturday the 20th.</p> <p>We've all heard the Jake Paul discourse a thousand times by now, but this one feels different. This isn't another retired MMA fighter or a fellow YouTuber: this is a legitimate heavyweight contender with 25 knockouts on his record.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>A Clash of Worlds and Records</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Paul comes in at 12-1 as a professional and, with seven knockouts - you may say what you want about his opponents, but the guy can crack.</p> <p>He's been campaigning at cruiserweight (200 lbs) and just picked up a unanimous decision win in his last 10-rounder. Not world-class competition, sure, but he's been putting in the work.</p> <p>Joshua? 28-4 with an absurd 89% knockout rate. The man has fought (and beaten, of course) some of the best heavyweights of his generation like Wladimir Klitschko, Dillian Whyte, Joseph Parker.</p> <p>He's lost too, but always to elite opposition. There's levels to this, and AJ has operated at the top of them.</p> <p>The weight limit of the Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua fight is set at 111kg (about 245 lbs), which is well above Paul's usual fighting weight, meaning he's essentially moving up to heavyweight territory to take on a natural heavyweight.</p> <p>Bold? Absolutely. Reckless? We’ll know on December 20.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>Why This Fight Matters</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>For Paul, this is the credibility fight he's been chasing as he needs to beat AJ to make sure nobody will call him a sideshow anymore.</p> <p>Paul winning the fight would be one of the biggest upsets in modern boxing history, full stop. Even giving Joshua a competitive fight would change the conversation entirely.</p> <p>For Joshua, there's a lot more at stake. Although it may not be one of <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/boxing/news/highest-paid-boxing-matches">the richest boxing matches ever</a>, the payday is massive, sure, and a dominant win puts him back in the title conversation. But lose to Jake Paul? That's a nightmare scenario for his legacy. The memes would be eternal.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>The Undercard and Event Details</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Fight week kicks off December 16th in Miami, with the main card starting at 8 PM EST on the 19th.&nbsp; For Australian viewers, this translates to a prime-time viewing slot at 12:00 PM AEDT on Saturday, December 20th.</p> <p>The undercard is stacked too: Anderson Silva is on there, plus world champion Alycia Baumgardner will be also ready to fight.</p> <p>Netflix is treating this like a proper blockbuster event, and honestly, it is shaping to be like one.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <h2>The Odds and the Reality</h2> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p>Bookmakers have Joshua as the favourite and also the <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/betting/boxing/grade-a-fights/jake-paul-v-anthony-joshua-9856008">Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua betting odds</a> here at Sportsbet reflect that.</p> <p>And if you know <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/punter-iq/guide/how-to-bet-on-boxing">how to bet on boxing</a>, you know that kind of makes sense - at least on paper.</p> <p>He's the experienced pro, the bigger man, the proven knockout artist. But Paul's power and unorthodox style have caught better fighters off guard before.</p> <p>Plus, there's the X-factor of Joshua potentially underestimating him…or overthinking it entirely.</p> <p>Can Paul really hang with a legitimate heavyweight? We're about to find out. One thing's certain: December 19th is going to be must-watch television, whether you're rooting for the upset or waiting to see Paul get humbled and his name to be included in our list of the <a href="https://www.sportsbet.com.au/huddle/boxing/news/fastest-knockouts-boxing-history">fastest KOs in boxing history</a>.</p>