Joshua vs Jake Paul: KO Result, Injury & How to Watch

For anyone who watched a YouTuber step into the ring with an Olympic gold medalist, the result in Miami on 20 December 2025 was both predictable and shocking: Anthony Joshua knocked out Jake Paul in the sixth round, and the cost for Paul was a broken jaw, titanium-plate surgery, and a seven-day liquid diet. Joshua’s win resets his career narrative, while Paul’s injury underscores the physical chasm between influencer boxing and elite heavyweight power.

Outcome: Anthony Joshua defeated Jake Paul via knockout in the sixth round · Date: 20 December 2025 · Location: Miami, Florida, USA · Paul Injury: Broken jaw; hospitalized; surgery with two titanium plates · Promotion: Most Valuable Promotions / Netflix

Seven facts capture the essential context of the heavyweight showdown.

Who has won Jake Paul vs. Joshua?

Official result and round summary

• Anthony Joshua defeated Jake Paul by knockout in the sixth round (ESPN boxing report).
• The fight took place in Miami, Florida on 20 December 2025.
• Joshua dropped Paul multiple times before the stoppage (ESPN boxing report).

The heavyweight bout marked the culmination of a year-long promotion. Joshua’s power and reach advantage were decisive from the opening bell. The referee called a halt to the contest after a flurry of unanswered punches midway through the sixth. Paul did not attend the postfight news conference due to the developing injury.

Jake Paul medical update after the fight

The medical aftermath became a secondary storyline. A YouTube medical analysis suggested the punch landed on the left side of Paul’s face, raising concern for delayed concussion symptoms following a jaw injury of this severity (YouTube medical analysis channel).

The implication: influencer boxing absorbs heavyweight power at a literal physical cost. Paul’s jaw is the latest — and most severe — receipt for the crossover gamble.

Are Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua fighting?

Fight confirmation and date

Date: 20 December 2025 · Location: Miami, Florida · Status: Completed

Yes, the fight was confirmed and occurred on 20 December 2025. The contest was promoted by Most Valuable Promotions and distributed live on Netflix, marking one of the platform’s first major forays into live combat sports.

The catch: It took the streaming power of Netflix, the promotional machine of MVP, and a separate $700 million offer for a Paul–Tyson rematch to make this crossover happen in the first place.

Promotion and broadcasting details

• Promoted by Most Valuable Promotions
• Streamed live on Netflix
• Full replay available on Netflix after the broadcast

The event was one of the most-watched boxing broadcasts in Netflix’s history. The streaming giant has signaled ambitions to host more live sports events, making the Joshua–Paul fight a landmark trial run for its global infrastructure. For the full breakdown of the fight date and time, see When Is Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua – Date, Time and Netflix Guide.

The takeaway: streaming distribution is the new pay-per-view, and Netflix now owns a template for how fights reach a billion screens.

What time is Joshua vs Paul?

Ringwalk time estimates

The main event ringwalks began approximately at the following times, following a multi-fight undercard.

The main event ringwalks began approximately at these times, following a multi-fight undercard. The global streaming model means the full fight is available to watch on demand via Netflix.

UK vs US time zone differences

• Prime time advantage (US): The 11 PM ET slot maximized live viewership across American time zones.
• Early morning commitment (UK): British fans had to tune in at 4 AM GMT to catch the main event live.
• Global streaming benefit: Netflix’s replay feature allowed all markets to watch on demand immediately after the live broadcast.

The timing decision reflected the fight’s commercial center of gravity: US-based Netflix subscribers and the Miami location dictated the schedule, while the UK — home to Joshua’s core fanbase — absorbed the early morning start. Why this matters: The late-night US / early-morning UK timing confirmed this was a global streaming product, not a traditional boxing broadcast, prioritizing Netflix’s international audience over local ringside tradition.

How to watch Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua tonight: Start time, ringwalks?

Netflix subscription requirements

Replay availability on Netflix

• Full fight replay: Available immediately after the live broadcast on Netflix.
• Highlights: Promotional accounts and official boxing media published rounds 5–6 in full.
• Territory restrictions: None — the replay is available to all Netflix markets globally.

This marks a significant shift from the traditional model, where fight replays were often locked behind a paywall. The trade-off: Netflix offered unprecedented global access, but the exclusivity meant casual fans without a subscription missed the live cultural moment — the full replay partly solves this, but the conversation happened live on the app. For more sports coverage, check out Colts vs 49ers Match Player Stats.

Who would win, Joshua or Jake Paul?

Pre-fight AI simulation predictions

AI Simulation Verdict: Joshua win probability 87% · Joshua KO/TKO: 72% · Paul Win Probability: 13%

Multiple sports AI models favored Joshua heavily. The models cited Joshua’s reach advantage, power differential, and experience against world-class opposition as decisive factors. Paul’s unorthodox style was his only plausible path — a statistical outlier that did not materialize.

Comparative boxing records and experience

The experience gap is the most significant in modern boxing history for a headliner at this scale. Joshua had faced four world champions before stepping in with Paul. Paul’s highest-ranked opponent prior to this was Tommy Fury. The takeaway: boxing resumes matter. A YouTuber can learn power, but they cannot learn 15 years of craft in a training camp.

The pattern: Joshua’s ability to learn from defeats contrasts with Paul’s first experience of true heavyweight power.

Has Anthony Joshua ever lost a fight?

Joshua’s professional losses

Anthony Joshua has three professional losses: a TKO to Andy Ruiz Jr. in 2019, and two decision defeats to Oleksandr Usyk in 2021 and 2022. All three came against top-tier opposition, and each prompted a tactical reassessment rather than a decline.

Resilience and career trajectory after defeats

Joshua rebounded from the Ruiz loss by winning a rematch, and from the Usyk defeats by scoring a victory over Jermaine Franklin before the Paul fight. The Paul win serves as a career reset, positioning him for a potential return to the heavyweight title picture.

Who has Jake Paul lost to?

Full list of Paul’s defeats

Jake Paul has two losses: a split decision to Tommy Fury in 2023, and a knockout to Anthony Joshua in December 2025. The Joshua loss marks his first career knockout defeat and the most serious injury of his boxing career.

Significance of the Joshua loss

Paul’s loss to Joshua exposed the gulf between influencer boxing and elite heavyweight competition. The severity of the jaw injury raises questions about his long-term durability and whether he can return to cruiserweight as he has stated.

Timeline signal

The timeline shows the long arc of both fighters’ careers converging in December 2025.

What we know and what remains unclear

The balance of known and unknown information shapes the narrative: the outcome is settled, but the fighters’ futures remain open questions.

Voices from the night

I just got out of surgery. I will be eating liquids for the next seven days.

— Jake Paul, social media update following his jaw surgery (ESPN boxing report)

He drove himself to the hospital after the fight. A broken jaw is common in boxing and MMA. Recovery should take four to six weeks.

— Nakisa Bidarian, CEO of Most Valuable Promotions (ESPN boxing report)

I want to return to the ring and win a cruiserweight world title.

— Jake Paul, statement on his future after surgery (ESPN boxing report)

The fighters’ own words underline the contrast between Joshua’s career reset and Paul’s medical recovery.

Summary

The Joshua–Paul fight delivered exactly what the records predicted: an elite heavyweight stopping an influencer boxer. But the medical aftermath — two fractures, titanium plates, a liquid diet — transcended the usual fight narrative. For Jake Paul, the return to boxing is a medical question before a boxing question. For Anthony Joshua, the win in Miami resets a career that had stalled at the highest level.

For the casual fan watching on Netflix, the fight was a stark lesson in weight-class reality and streaming spectacle. The choice for crossover boxing is clear: embrace the global audience, or accept the physics of an elite heavyweight’s power.

Frequently asked questions