Jake Paul is preparing to enter the ring with another boxing legend after Mike Tyson

YouTuber and boxer Jake Paul, whose fight with WBA lightweight champion (up to 61.2 kg) Gervonta Davis fell through after the latter beat his girlfriend, has found a new opponent. It will be former heavyweight leader Anthony Joshua. Notably, the Brit is almost twice as heavy and a head and a half taller than Davis. The fight is scheduled for December.

As reported by BAKU.WS with reference to The Guardian, American boxer-YouTuber Jake Paul, whose fights consistently become media hits despite not having any titles at stake, is ready to deliver a new super show. Paul has reached an agreement to hold a match with Anthony Joshua, who until recently was considered the king of the heavyweight division. Sources at the publication claim that all documents have already been signed, and the official announcement of the fight will be made next Monday. The bout is planned for either December 19 or 26 in the USA.

Actually, Jake Paul was supposed to fight a different opponent this weekend - WBA lightweight champion Gervonta Davis. For Paul, this would have been his first opponent whose capabilities are not questionable. In all previous matches, the YouTuber's opponents were either athletes from boxing-adjacent sports or long-retired veterans like Mike Tyson or Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. But the fight did not take place. Davis, who has already been in trouble with the law multiple times, did it again.

At the end of October, his ex-girlfriend Courtney Roussel filed a lawsuit accusing the athlete of battery, including causing serious harm to health, unlawful restraint, and kidnapping. The incident caused widespread resonance, and Paul, who declared himself a defender of women's rights, canceled the fight, calling Davis a "natural piece of walking trash." Meanwhile, the cancellation of the show, which was planned to be held in Las Vegas and broadcast by Netflix, threatened the loss of significant sums, so Paul began searching for a new opponent. That's when Anthony Joshua conveniently came along.

The fight against Jake Paul can be considered a warm-up for Joshua. Paul, even if we leave aside the difference in boxing potential between him and his opponent, is in a very vulnerable position. He was preparing for a meeting with the miniature Davis (fighting weight - 60.5 kg, height - 166 cm, arm span - 171 cm), but now he'll have to fight a giant. In his last fight, Joshua weighed 115 kg. His height is 198 cm, and his arm span is 208 cm. Paul is no small guy either, but he is significantly inferior to Joshua in size - weighing just over 100 kg, with a height of 185 cm and an arm span of 193 cm.

This is exactly the type of opponent Joshua needs right now to relaunch his career. Until 2021, his career was going excellently (the only slip-up occurred in June 2019 in a fight against Andy Ruiz, from whom Joshua took revenge six months later). But in recent years, he hasn't pleased his fans very often. In 2021, he was defeated by Oleksandr Usyk, who took away the Brit's WBA, WBO (World Boxing Organization), and IBF (International Boxing Federation) titles. A year later, the Ukrainian boxer beat Joshua again. Then there was an attempt to regain positions, a couple of fights with middling opponents, and another championship match (for the IBF belt), and another setback - in the autumn of last year, Joshua lost to Daniel Dubois.

The 36-year-old athlete has apparently decided to approach another comeback more cautiously. A splendid bonus to the match with Paul for Joshua will be the prize money. Paul may not be the best boxer, but he knows how to make money. It is believed that his total income earned in the ring has already exceeded $100 million. Almost half of this amount - about $40 million - came from his fight with Tyson. Iron Mike himself received about $20 million. Not bad for an almost 60-year-old veteran. Joshua can quite reasonably expect no less.