The undercard for Jake Paul’s strange fight with Anthony Joshua has been announced, with world champions and former UFC stars populating the event.
On 19 December, Joshua – a former two-time world heavyweight champion – fights YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
The heavyweight bout will be a professional contest, scheduled for eight three-minute rounds. Knockouts will be allowed, with both men wearing standard 10oz gloves. Joshua will not be allowed to weigh more than 245lb on the day before the fight.
In that bout, 36-year-old “AJ” will aim to bounce back from a brutal loss to Daniel Dubois in September 2024, and potentially keep alive an all-British megafight with Tyson Fury. Meanwhile, American Paul looks to improve his 12-1 record with an incomprehensible scalp, 12 months after outpointing Mike Tyson, who was 58 at the time.
Speaking of former opponents of 28-year-old Paul, two of them will compete on the undercard in Miami, as former UFC champions Anderson Silva and Tyron Woodley square off.
Silva, 50, was outpointed by Paul in a 2022 boxing match, after Woodley, 43, lost to Paul via decision and then by KO in two bouts in 2021. However, Silva is considered by some to be the greatest mixed martial artist ever, while Woodley was a dominant welterweight champion.
Also at the 19 December event, unified super-featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner defends her titles against Leila Beaudoin, who aims to seize the IBF and WBO belts. That contest will serve as the evening’s co-main event.
More women’s world titles will be on the line, too: Cherneka Johnson defends the IBF, WBC and WBO bantamweight straps against Amanda Galle, and Yokasta Valle puts her WBC strawweight title on the line versus Yadira Bustillos.
Rounding out the card are Avious Griffin and Justin Cardona, who meet at welterweight, and cruiserweights Keno Marley and Diarra Davis Jr.
Paul vs Joshua undercard in full
‘C’ denotes champion
Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul (heavyweight)
Alycia Baumgardner (C) vs Leila Beaudoin (IBF, WBO women’s super-featherweight titles)
Anderson Silva vs Tyron Woodley (cruiserweight)
Cherneka Johnson (C) vs Amanda Galle (IBF, WBC, WBO women’s bantamweight titles)
Yokasta Valle (C) vs Yadira Bustillos (WBC women’s strawweight title)
Avious Griffin vs Justin Cardona (welterweight)
Keno Marley vs Diarra Davis Jr (cruiserweight)
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