Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua Prediction, Odds & Best Bet - AJ ends the boxing bout early

Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua face off after a press conference announcing their heavyweight boxing match at Kayesa Center.

Andrew Wilsher

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Managing Editor of Pickswise. Born and raised in jolly old London, England, with an undying love for the NFL, NBA, soccer and horse racing. A big-time sports bettor who loves futures markets and backing underdogs. Long-suffering New York Jets fan. For Andrew Wilsher media enquiries, please email contact@pickswise.com.

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Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua predictions

Anthony Joshua makes a return to the ring after over a year away from the spotlight with, for him, a bizarre matchup against Jake Paul on Friday in Miami. Paul was originally training to face lightweight Gervonta “Tank” Davis in an exhibition bout, but when that fight was cancelled, Paul turned to former 2-time heavyweight world champion Joshua for a full fight rather than an exhibition event.

Paul has consistently called out AJ over the last few years and has now got his wish — but he may quickly come to regret that decision.

Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua best bet: AJ to win in Round 1 or Round 2 (+160)

Odds available at bet365 at time of publishing.

Anthony Joshua is plotting a big comeback in 2026, and he should be able to make light work of Jake Paul. The Problem Child has spent almost his entire career at cruiserweight and has never been tested at this level, and facing AJ represents a huge step up in class as well as in weight. Joshua has a 28-4 record with 25 of his wins coming via knockout, and he is one of the most devastating finishers in the modern heavyweight era — so he may only need one chance to finish the job against Paul.

Paul will try and use his speed and athleticism to stay out of range, but he probably doesn’t have the level of skill required to pull that kind of game plan off for a significant amount of time. Joshua is a heavy favorite and offers little appeal at just -1200 to win or even -350 to win via KO, TKO or DQ. The value pick, therefore, is taking a chance on the +160 on offer for AJ to win in the opening 2 rounds.

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Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua Date and Fight Time

Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua takes place on Friday, December 19. The fight will emanate from the Kaseya Center in Miami, with the event starting at 5:00 pm ET. The headline fight is expected to start at around 10:30 pm ET.

Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of bet365 and available at time of publishing.

Jake Paul +600
Anthony Joshua -1200

AJ is understandably a huge favorite to beat Jake Paul. Joshua has beaten some of the best heavyweights in the boxing world and is one of the best on the planet right now. Paul is largely still considered an amateur and is stepping up multiple weight classes in order to fight Joshua. If Paul was to beat AJ, it would be viewed as one of the biggest boxing shocks ever.

How to watch Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua

Jake Paul vs Anthony Joshua will be available to watch on Netflix from 5:00 pm ET, meaning it is available for anyone to watch around the world provided they have a Netflix subscription.