Jake Paul to fight ex-heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua on Dec. 19 - ESPN

YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul will face former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in a professional heavyweight boxing match on Dec. 19 at Kaseya Center in Miami, Most Valuable Promotions told ESPN on Monday.

The fight — which will be streamed live on Netflix — is scheduled for eight, 3-minute rounds, and the fighters will wear 10-ounce gloves, the standard for heavyweight fights.

It's an about-face for Paul, 27, who was originally slated to take on WBA lightweight champion Gervonta «Tank» Davis in an exhibition fight on Nov. 14. However, the bout was canceled after Davis was named in a civil lawsuit filed by an ex-girlfriend accusing the boxer of aggravated battery, false imprisonment, kidnapping and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

Instead of an exhibition against a hard-hitting pro boxer who campaigned at 130 pounds, Paul will now face a two-time heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medalist in a sanctioned professional boxing match who has fought as high as 256 pounds, over 100 pounds heavier than Davis. Paul has campaigned primarily as a cruiserweight with a 200-pound weight limit, although he weighed 227.25 pounds for his heavyweight exhibition fight with Mike Tyson in 2024.

«This isn't an AI simulation. This is Judgment Day,» Paul said in a statement. «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. 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.»