New footage of Anthony Joshua in training for this month’s fight against Jake Paul has become a big talking point online, with fans commenting on his lean physique.

For the first time in his career, Joshua has a strict contracted weight limit ahead of a professional bout.

The two-time heavyweight world champion, who weighed just over 252lbs in his last bout against Daniel Dubois last year, cannot weigh more than 245lbs for the eight-round contest on December 19.

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It must be noted that there is no restriction on how much weight Joshua can add on after the official weigh-in.

Earlier this month, AJ responded to concerns with an update regarding his weight on social media. “They must have forgot,” he said alongside a video of himself stepping on the scales.

“I’m used to dealing with big weights & scales. 243.8lbs.”

With just over a week until fight night, a training clip of Joshua has emerged, where he can be seen practising his coordination and reflexes by punching a tennis ball attached to a cap.

Here’s how fans on social media have reacted to the video.

One said: “Nah wait Jake actually might cook him he looks so skinny,” and a second commented: “Damn he looks tiny here.”

A third wrote: “Damn he looks tiny here,” and a fourth said: “WTF he looks so skinny”

A fifth added: “Probably the slimmest i’ve seen him, he doesn’t need to be heavy v Jake Paul tbh.”

Ahead of the contest in Miami, promoter Eddie Hearn has given an insight into Joshua’s condition.

“He’s really dialled in as if he was fighting an elite heavyweight,” Hearn told talkSPORT. “The one thing he always does is take everything seriously and he is doing so for this, he’s in tremendous shape.

“The difference is in this fight is he has to make a specific weight which is a lot lighter than he would be going into this fight. But he’s on track and is in Miami with not long to go until the fight.

“I can’t believe what’s about to happen, to be honest.”

He added: “Yeah, he’s ready to go and do a job on him, and I just can’t believe we’ve signed the contract to fight him.”

Anthony Joshua has been warned he must be switched on to avoid an embarrassing defeat by Jake Paul.

Joshua takes on Paul next Friday in a sanctioned heavyweight contest which has sparked controversy given the disparity in ability between the ex-world champion and the YouTuber. Joshua has not fought since he was knocked out by Daniel Dubois at Wembley 15 months ago.

He sees his meeting with Paul as a tune-up for a serious return to action in Saudi Arabia in February before a showdown with long-time rival Tyson Fury next September. Social media star Paul, meanwhile, has built a career by fighting ex-MMA stars and last year took on a 58-year-old Mike Tyson.

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The boxing world expects Joshua to stop Paul within two rounds, but renowned trainer Robert Garcia, who coached Joshua for a spell, warned the Brit he must be focused. “I think he should knock the s*** out of Jake Paul but f***, in boxing you never know man … It’s not like something I’m making up,” he told ES News. “People have already questioned Anthony’s head, his mind. People have questioned that, but if it’s a solid Anthony, a confident Anthony, he’s got to knock the s**t out of [Jake Paul].”

Joshua will be trained by coaches from former undisputed world champion Oleksandr Usyk’s camp after deciding to leave trainer Ben Davison. And he said: “I was invited to train with Team Usyk. He’s one of the best in the world, and it’s not all down to him. It’s also down to the team that’s around him, so I’ve linked up with them and got a great insight into someone who has achieved so much. It’s been a great experience and it’s very challenging.”

Joshua, who was twice outpointed by Usyk in 2021 and 2022, also shrugged off criticism of the contest. “I don’t address people that are against me,” he added. “People say, ‘what do you feel about negative comments?’ Why am I worried about negative comments? I just focus on the people who believe in me and support me. I have nothing to say to those people.

“You’ve got to give credit to Jake and his team, they reached out to me and it was a great opportunity for me to fight. I wanted to take 12 months out of the game, I did that and then it was time to get back to work.

“I was planning on fighting anyway and I thought, ‘why not?’ It’s great, it’s massive, it’s colossal, it’s bringing big news. We’re bringing marketability together with ability, those two worlds collide.”

Jake Paul’s Injuries go From Bad to Worse Ahead of Anthony Joshua Fight

Jake Paul continues to pick up injuries during his training camp and preparations for his upcoming heavyweight fight against the former two-time boxing world champion Anthony Joshua on the 19th of December at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. Netflix will air the event.

It is perhaps indicative of how grueling the sparring sessions he’s been taking part in, just to get ready for the punches that Joshua will be throwing his way.

READ: Jake Paul Speaks Out After Ex-World Champion Claims Anthony Joshua Fight ‘Is Not Happening’

Previously, Paul had been working with a lightweight called Shakur Stevenson, who is one of the most skillful fighters in the sport, when he was training for an exhibition alongside Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, who the internet sensation would have out-weighed by 60 to 70 pounds. But for Joshua, Paul brought in three heavyweights including American star Jared Anderson and AJ’s former protege Lawrence Okolie, among others.

And the impact of those sessions appears to be taking their toll.

Jake Paul’s Injuries go From Bad to Worse

It all started when Paul started sparring Okolie.

Speaking last month, Okolie told Boxing Social that he wanted to “work with Jake Paul” to get him ready for AJ. “I need to know what he sees that makes him think this is a good idea. I want him to feel what it’s like to be in there with a big, strong, world-class heavyweight before the day. I don’t want him to get hit with a jab, and it’s this whole, new sensation.”

More recent reports suggest Okolie did just that, and made Paul feel what it’s really like to share the ring with a big and strong heavyweight as the Brit apparently gave the American a black eye in training.

“I think Lawrence Okolie did that to me,” Paul said to the streamer Adin Ross, during a video in which bruising around his eye is clearly visible.

🥊 Jake Paul shows off a black eye from sparring ahead of his fight with Anthony Joshua on Dec 19 in Miami.

“I think Lawrence Okolie did that to me — he’s 6’6”, 270lbs,” Paul told Adin Ross.

Can Paul handle AJ in 8 rounds? 👀#JakePaul #AnthonyJoshua #Boxing #Heavyweight pic.twitter.com/WpmP3Bv2NR

— FTTV Boxing (@FTTVBoxing) December 7, 2025

A Black Eye, Though, Isn’t Paul’s Only Injury

Paul joined The Pat McAfee Show this week and host McAfee asked Paul about the state of his nose. Considering Paul’s response, it shows the black eye Okolie gave him wasn’t the only injury he’s suffered in this camp.

“Did you break your nose? Is this new? I’m seeing your nose,” McAfee said during the show.

“It’s getting more crooked, brother,” Paul said.

“Sparring the heavyweights, my nose has moved a couple millimeters in this camp. A guy by the name of Frank Sanchez definitely cracked it a little bit so it definitely has something in it. It’s bad. Look at that. I’m like Squidward, dog.”

Look at that nose 😂😂

"It's getting more crooked" 😂😂 ~ @jakepaul #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/sO6QomhFEO

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 10, 2025

It’s not all been bad news in camp, though. In an Instagram post in which he showcased his skills punching the heavy bag, Paul said: “Upset coming.” And the video shows noticeable improvements in his footwork, fluidity, and power, from when he first picked up the gloves five years ago.

‼️ Jake Paul on Instagram:

“Upset coming. Friday December 19th it’s my time.” pic.twitter.com/dzOmE346sk

— IFN (@IfnBoxing) December 11, 2025

 

Jake Paul appears to have dismissed rumours that his fight with Anthony Joshua has been cancelled after ‘The Problem Child’ shared his prediction for the December 19 bout.

On Wednesday afternoon, it was suggested that the heavyweight contest between Paul and Joshua had been “cancelled” after the YouTuber-turned-boxer suffered an injury in sparring.

The story was relayed by former WBC heavyweight champion Bermane Stiverne, who opened up on what he’d “heard” amid rumours of a potential postponement.

“I’ve just heard somewhere that he was injured, that it’s not happening,” Stiverne told Gambleonline.ca.

READ: Jake Paul’s big announcement explained and how it affects Anthony Joshua fight

“I don’t know. I just heard not long ago it was cancelled. I don’t know what’s going on. Lawrence Okolie gave him a black eye or something and from what I heard the fight is not happening after sparring sessions [with world ranked fighters].”

Stiverne, who holds a record of 25-6-1 and was the first fighter to go the distance with Deontay Wilder, added: “It might be a lie, or it might be true, but I don’t know. That’s what I was hearing and it wouldn’t surprise me.”

Jake Paul gives his prediction for Anthony Joshua fight

Shortly after Stiverne made the claim, a beaten-up Paul appeared to confirm that his bout against Joshua is still happening.

Speaking on Wednesday’s episode of The Pat McAfee Show, the 28-year-old gave his prediction for the fight on December 19.

“I don’t think he can knock me out because he’s not going to be able to line up his shots properly to land the hard punch,” began Paul.

“I think it’s going to be a very tough fight for multiple rounds, but then, when I figure out his pacing, his style, his speed, his footwork, he’s going to get a little bit tired trying to chase me around, and then I’m going to set up the shot.

“I’m not going to say exactly what, but I see what it is, and I think it’ll end in the fifth or sixth round.”

Paul was pictured with a black eye this week after sparring British heavyweight contender and former cruiserweight champion Lawrence Okolie.

The YouTube personality, who has also welcomed heavyweights Jared Anderson and Frank Sanchez into his camp ahead of fight night, spoke about some of his sparring partners on Wednesday’s podcast.

“We definitely focused a lot more on the strength workouts and lifting heavier weights,” said Paul.

“I started to eat a bit more, but I didn’t want to bulk up too much. The speed is going to be the key here, but we brought in world champion heavyweight sparring partners, guys who are 270 pounds, 250 pounds.

“Sparring them has been insane,” he said. “I still got the remnants of taking a shot.”

In the build-up to his clash with Anthony Joshua, Jake Paul sparked online pandemonium by hinting at a “major update”, leading fans to fear the controversial bout might be scrapped.

The widespread concern arose from the perceived gap in boxing ability between the pair, prompting speculation that Paul might withdraw. Yet the reality of his announcement had nothing to do with cancelling the fight, but instead related to his commercial interests.

The actual major update concerned the capture of Olympic boxer Caroline Dubois, currently a lightweight world champion, by Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) outfit. Dubois, the sister of former heavyweight Daniel Dubois, was branded the most coveted free agent in women’s boxing. Paul framed the acquisition as a tactical move to “even the odds” ahead of his encounter with Joshua.

READ: Gervonta Davis Breaks Silence On Jake Paul Fight Collapse With

Jake Paul injury leads to immediate Anthony Joshua cancellation claim

Boxing fans are convinced Jake Paul will cancel his fight with Anthony Joshua after he was see sporting a black eye.

Paul is due to take on Joshua next Friday in Miami in a controversial heavyweight fight. Paul is expected to be brutally knocked out by the former two-time world champion who is fighting for the first time in 15 months. And the YouTuber revealed he was handed the black eye by Joshua’s fellow Brit Lawrence Okolie.

READ: ‘Blessing in disguise’: Anthony Joshua says the clause Jake Paul inserted into

“I’m sparring a bunch of world champion heavyweights, I think Lawrence Okolie did that to me, he’s like 6ft 6in, 270lbs,” said Paul in a video on social media. Paul is likely to face a 30lb weight disadvantage when he meets Joshua in the ring, even with the imposition of a 245lb weight restriction on the Olympic champion.

And fans took to social media after seeing the video to doubt whether Paul even makes it to the ring. “Let me guess, he’s going to back out with an injury,” said one, while another added: “Bro might need to pull out.” Another fan said: “Based on those video, I don’t think that fight is happening. Looks like excuses have started” while he was backed up by yet another who added: “Fight’s going to be cancelled”.

One fan went further and said Paul had clearly been “humbled” by the incident. “Someone has definitely humbled Jake, his whole body language has changed. Whether it was that shot from Lawrence or a different one, someone has done it.” Another commentator believes Paul’s team are being reckless when he said: “Out of shape Okilie who is not on AJ’s level… Jake is going to die out there and his team are letting it happen all for money; they don’t care for Jake at all.”

Okolie had previously praised Paul’s ability following their sparring sessions. Trainer Joe Gallagher reported that the former cruiserweight world champion had said: “I messaged Lawrence, and he was quite glowing about Jake Paul, on how well he was doing with Frank Sanchez and Jared Anderson. I don’t think he’s gone as far as [backing him to beat Joshua.]”

Paul will take on Joshua over eight three-minute rounds in Miami with the rivals wearing 10oz gloves. Joshua sees the fight as the first of three over the next 12 months and plans to fight again in Saudi Arabia in February before finally settling his beef with domestic rival Tyson Fury in September.

Anthony Joshua says the clause Jake Paul inserted into his contract is a ‘blessing in disguise’

Anthony Joshua has his next opponent to thank for his terrific pre-fight shape.

The former two-time heavyweight world champion is set to face Jake Paul on December 19.

Due to their size difference, a 245lb weight limit was inserted into Anthony Joshua‘s contract.

READ: WBC increases punishment for Terence Crawford, potentially forcin

‘AJ’ recently stepped on the scale to reveal he is already below the limit two weeks out from fight night.

Anthony Joshua loves his 245lb weight limit

Anthony Joshua is feeling in better shape than he has for years, thanks to his enforced weight limit.

Jake Paul has inadvertently made his opponent come into their fight fitter than he planned to be.

If I’m honest with you, I really do like this weight, you know,” Joshua told TMZ Sports.

“It’s actually been a blessing in disguise that this task was put upon me because I feel good.

“I look back and think, ‘What was I doing carrying that weight? Where was my mind at?’

“I’ve obviously pushed myself with my cardio, so that means I’m getting fitter. Maybe I wasn’t training hard enough, and that’s why I wasn’t losing the weight. I’m super fit, and I’ve actually lost weight in the process of getting super fit.

“It’s not even like I’ve tried to make the weight. We just upped the cardio and upped the rounds in the gym. You need to work harder, that’s all that comes down to.

“You got lazy, champ, and that’s why you’re putting on all this weight.”

Joe Rogan thinks Jake Paul has made a big mistake

Joe Rogan predicted the clause Jake Paul put in Anthony Joshua’s contract would badly backfire.

The UFC commentator always believed a weight limit would simply force ‘AJ’ to train even harder.

“Listen, kids, it ain’t gonna matter,” Rogan said about the Paul vs Joshua weight limit.

“There’s not a chance that Anthony Joshua is not going to just lose the weight beforehand.

“He’s not gonna come in drained. What he’s going to do is just do extra cardio, and that’s just gonna make him more dangerous.

“He’s gonna be terrifying.”

Is Jake Paul the unluckiest fighter in boxing?

History might suggest so. First, Canelo Alvarez publicly entertained Paul’s challenge, only to pivot and sign a multi-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh. Then came the Gervonta Davis saga. Paul secured a massive matchup with ‘Tank.’ But the bout collapsed after Davis faced legal issues following a lawsuit from his ex-girlfriend. Now, Anthony Joshua has entered the picture.

Paul and Joshua are scheduled to meet on December 19 at the Kaseya Center in Miami, live on Netflix. Unlike the Davis matchup, this one is a full professional boxing bout at heavyweight—a fight the public is collectively excited about. But trouble may be brewing again. Reports suggest that ‘The Problem Child’ has suffered an injury, casting doubt on whether the fight will go ahead with less than two weeks to go.

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Jake Paul suffered an injury during sparring with a former world champion

The 28-year-old recently appeared on a KICK livestream with Adin Ross, where ‘El Gallo’ showed up sporting a noticeably swollen black eye. When Ross asked about it, Paul explained the story behind the injury. “I’m sparring a bunch of world champion heavyweights,” Paul told Ross during the stream. “I think that I think Lawrence Okolie did that to me. He’s like 6’6″, 270.”

Okolie, of course, is a former WBO cruiserweight and the WBC bridgerweight champion. He also currently holds the WBC Silver heavyweight title. Along with ‘The Sauce,’ Paul has previously revealed that he brought in Jared Anderson and Frank Sanchez to help prepare for the Anthony Joshua fight. Reagrdless, later in the stream, Paul shared another detail.

He currently weighs 215 pounds and plans to come in between 218 and 220 pounds on fight night. For comparison, Anthony Joshua typically weighs around 250 pounds for his bouts. This size gap led Jake Paul to conclude the matchup will be a “pretty wild fight.” Paul is coming off a unanimous decision win over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. earlier this year at cruiserweight.

Meanwhile, Joshua entered the bout following a fifth-round stoppage loss to Daniel Dubois in late 2024. Coming back to Okolie, he previously reflected on sparring with Jake Paul.

Lawrence Okolie claims he wants to give Paul a fighting chance

Lawrence Okolie says his decision to join Jake Paul’s Miami fight camp isn’t about clout. Rather, it’s about giving the YouTuber-turned-boxer a fighting chance before he steps in against Anthony Joshua. Okolie revealed that he felt compelled to help Paul prepare for a world-class heavyweight.

“I want to go help Jake Paul, give him a chance. I want to go out there to Puerto Rico,” he told ESPN. More importantly, he doesn’t want Paul to walk blindly into danger. “What I don’t want to happen to him is he gets absolutely destroyed in a round or whatever if AJ turns it on,” Okolie added.

Instead, his goal is to give Paul a realistic feel of elite heavyweight power and pressure. “I want him to have a decent feeling of what it’s like to be in there with a world-class heavyweight beforehand,” he said.

It appears Jake Paul is doing everything he can and more for the Anthony Joshua fight. However, he might want to dial it down a little because he doesn’t exactly have the best history with cancelled fights.

Jake Paul–Anthony Joshua Fight Sparks Claims of Secret Agreement From Top Boxing Insider

The leap from a lightweight to a heavyweight champion seems bold for Jake Paul, but for many boxing insiders, it’s not bravery, all they see is a red flag

The Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis matchup had appeared too far-fetched for many. As a cruiserweight contender, a fight against a heavyweight sounded more reasonable. Still, now that the fight is just around the corner, concerns have started to emerge. Some worry about the damage Anthony Joshua could potentially inflict on Paul. But a few believe the fight may not yield such an outcome. One analyst is certain that there is an ‘undisclosed agreement’ between the two fighters.

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Questions linger over the AJ-Jake Paul showdown

Former welterweight titleholder and Hall of Fame trainer and analyst Barry McGuigan suspects the Jake Paul-AJ fight comes with “some sort of caveat.” The very idea of Joshua, who only a year ago knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou, matched against Paul, whose lone loss came at the hands of a below-par boxer, Tommy Fury, perplexes him.

“So, how is Jake Paul going to get through Joshua?” He asked, calling it ‘ridiculous’ to think that no agreement exists. Considering the English heavyweight’s ability to knock out opponents cold, he sounded concerned about how the fight might end for the Cleveland native.

The situation immediately brought to mind last year’s fight against 58-year-old Mike Tyson. McGuigan claimed that the boxing legend, despite his advanced age, took it easy on Jake Paul. So most fans could likely expect something similar next weekend at the Kaseya Center. But McGuigan made it clear: by sharing his concerns, he doesn’t mean any disrespect toward Paul. He’s simply worried about the former Disney star’s safety. “That’s why it’s hard to believe there isn’t some undisclosed agreement,” he stated during the interview with Betway.

He added, “If Joshua hits him like he hit Francis Ngannou, he’ll knock him into next week. That’s what I can’t get my head around.” But at the end of the day, win or lose, Jake Paul will only benefit from the fight. Can the same be said for Joshua?

Anthony Joshua has everything to lose

To be fair, it’s not Barry McGuigan alone who has expressed such concerns. With nearly 90% of his opponents touching the canvas, Joshua, despite recent setbacks and injuries, remains one of boxing’s foremost finishers.

There’s little reason to believe he would restrain himself in a fight with someone like Jake Paul, who, barring the exception of Tommy Fury, has so far fought only retired or semi-retired fighters.

If anything, the pressure is on AJ to repeat the performance he delivered against Ngannou. Considering he is in the final stretch of his career, a matchup against British rival Tyson Fury could be his swan song. A fight against Paul could be a step toward that.

However, a problem lingers. What happens if the American cruiserweight manages to extend him beyond the second round? That could pose a serious threat to AJ’s reputation and prospects. Naturally, he will step in with the sole mindset of knocking down Jake Paul at the earliest opportunity.

Any other outcome would not only raise doubts, just as Barry McGuigan and several others have suggested, but would also prove detrimental to AJ’s legacy.