Well, here we go then. Netflix have confirmed that Jake Paul is actually fighting Anthony Joshua next month, a matchup that feels a bit like chucking your younger cousin into the ring with your gym’s heavyweight champ just to see what happens.

The fight streams live on 19 December from Miami. It’s a proper professional bout, full rounds, judges, the lot. None of the novelty tweaks that have floated around Paul’s previous scraps.

Promoter Eddie Hearn doubled down on that when speaking to Sky Sports. “No, not an exhibition. We’re not interested in exhibitions. It’s a real fight,” he said. He confirmed the matchup would use Queensberry rules, adding, “There’s stuff to be resolved and discussed. It would be a real fight with Queensberry rules, 10 ounce gloves. The rounds would be agreed.”

That’s a shift from Paul’s event with Mike Tyson, where they boxed with 14 ounce gloves, shorter rounds, and a structure built around safety. This time, Joshua is in full competitive mode. The man is a two time heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist, not a novelty act.

Former world champ David Haye didn’t sugarcoat it either. He said he “genuinely fears” for Paul, comparing the matchup to a “house cat” taking on a “lion”. 

He added, “I am struggling to believe that AJ will be allowed to freely punch Paul to the head without some sort of restriction or exhibition,” and followed that with, “Unless Anthony Joshua is in hospital, connected to a life support machine, he should find a way to victory in any way he wants.”

Paul, of course, is firing back with confidence. “This isn’t an AI simulation. This is Judgment Day,” he said. “A professional heavyweight fight against an elite world champion in his prime. When I beat Anthony Joshua, every doubt disappears, and no one can deny me the opportunity to fight for a world title.” 

He kept going with, “To all my haters, this is what you wanted. To the people of the United Kingdom, I am sorry. On Friday, December 19, under the lights in Miami, live globally only on Netflix, the torch gets passed and Britain’s Goliath gets put to sleep. I KNOWWWW YOU GOT EM PICKED HAHAHHA.”

Joshua’s response was calmer but no less direct. “I took some time out and I’m coming back with a mega show. It’s a big opportunity for me. Whether you like it or not, I’m here to do massive numbers, have big fights and break every record whilst keeping cool, calm and collected.” 

He added, “Mark my words, you’ll see a lot more fighters take these opportunities in the future,” before finishing with, “I’m about to break the internet over Jake Paul’s face.”