UK (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Anthony Joshua’s bout with Jake Paul streamed on Netflix ignites debate, with critics questioning whether the sport has crossed into spectacle.
To be clear, this was a legitimate professional competition rather than a staged event, and the plot it generated was uninteresting and unavoidably biased.
This is not anything that any screenwriter would have thought of.
The storyline that unfolded in the ring was dull and uninteresting; it would have been difficult to receive even a charity grade on Rotten Tomatoes.
The final irony is that Joshua has received one of his highest salaries and, most likely, his biggest television viewership from this show.
Referee Christopher Young may have spoken for spectators worldwide when he called the competitors together and encouraged them to fight with seconds left in the fourth round.
Directing his comments at Paul, he said:
“Fans didn’t pay to see this crap.”
“Amen,” replied Netflix commentator Mauro Ranallo.
“Christopher Young with the call of the night.”
Joshua talked about “carrying boxing on his back” all week. He discharged the load on Friday night in Miami, but only after a laborious and uncomfortable procedure.
Paul’s purpose was to live.
Instead of engaging, the man who spent fight week promising the biggest upset in sports history stayed out of the fray.
When he did make contact, he was always going low and grabbing Joshua’s leg, reminiscent of his wrestling days as a schoolboy.
Even a novice like his opponent could easily avoid Joshua’s torrent of reckless swings and Paul’s shameful lack of blows.
“It’s a win but it’s not a success,”
Joshua said afterwards.
“I’ve got a lot of improving I’ve got to do. I’m not happy.”
Although Joshua received his portion of a purported £210 million prize, the fight was pointless from a boxing standpoint and for those in the UK who stayed up late to watch.
Joshua declared to the audience that he didn’t give a damn about legacy while standing in the ring. Nothing that had just transpired would add to it, thus it was an honest and reasonably accurate statement.
The 36-year-old heavyweight is a former two-time world champion, an Olympic gold medallist, and a trained fighter.
He has inspired a generation of fighters and spectators and made a big impact on the sport.
However, it won’t improve that legacy to wait six rounds before facing Paul, a 28-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer who has never faced anything approaching elite level.
“I wish I could have knocked him out at the start,”
Joshua said.
“But as we saw, Jake has spirit, he has some heart. He tried his best and I take my hat off to him.”
The bout demonstrated how boxing’s landscape is changing, with commercial appeal and Netflix-driven hype increasingly taking precedence over sporting reasoning.
Recently, rumors of Irish celebrity Katie Taylor taking on former UFC champion Ronda Rousey have been fueled by the same kind of thinking.
For his part, Joshua is willing to work in that area.
Paul and Francis Ngannou, a UFC fighter, have been boxing novices in two of his last three bouts. Daniel Dubois, a top-tier heavyweight, defeated him via heavy knockout in his only other fight during that time.
“Rico or whoever it is, we haven’t finalised that yet,”
Hearn said.
“The date is what we’re going to work out in the next four, five, six days. We’re not going to rush him back if he’s not quite ready. But we won’t be long.”
The Dubois fight revealed that Joshua’s abilities are deteriorating due to the hardships of 33 professional fights following an amateur career.
In light of this, who can really blame him for accepting the money and attention that are available to him at this point in his career?
When questioned about rumors that Joshua may fight kickboxer Rico Verhoeven in February, promoter Eddie Hearn did not rule anything out.
Paul has been calling for recognition as a “real” boxer for years.
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, a 35-year-old who has won world titles in four weight classes, from light middleweight to light heavyweight, is one of the opponents he has called out. Other opponents he has chosen include reality TV stars, retired mixed martial arts fighters, faded former champions, and even grandfathers.
Despite being a novice cruiserweight, he managed to convince Joshua, a former heavyweight champion and Olympic gold medallist, to fight him.
During fight week, several experts said he was a fighter of a regional caliber.
Over 55 million people follow the Disney actor, YouTuber, and boxer on social media.
And that level of attention and audience is financial.
According to Forbes, Paul is valued at $50 million (£37.5 million).
He works out from a £3 million converted warehouse in Puerto Rico, a full-time base equipped with top-notch equipment used by elite pros, rehabilitation chambers, and a strength and conditioning center.
His physical work is supervised by conditioning coach Larry Wade, who has worked with world champions like Badou Jack and Shawn Porter.
Former world championship challenger J’Leon Love leads technical lessons with head trainer Theo Chambers, who developed his skills at Detroit’s renowned Kronk Gym.
He revealed his presumed broken jaw to the world shortly after losing, and for dramatic effect, he spat out blood.
He also talked about how determined he was to win the global championship.
No matter how ridiculous this battle seemed at times, you can expect to see him back in a boxing ring given his riches and audience reach.
When Joshua was asked if he would like to face his British adversary next, he put on his best Tyson Fury voice at the post-fight press conference, highlighting the bizarre aspect of the event.
“I give the dosser eight weeks; 24 hours to sign a contract. Let’s see if he is a man. Greedy belly!”
He laughed, sounding more like a pirate than the heavyweight champion from Morecambe.
Fury and Joshua ought to have faced off long ago. Even though the fight isn’t as big as it used to be, a stadium would still be sold out. So, why should it be postponed once more?
Joshua stated that he would be delighted to face Fury next. Hearn maintained that it was possible.
Joshua and Boxing have been here before.
He and Deontay Wilder appeared on the same bill in Riyadh in 2023, clearly intending to meet at last. Otto Wallin was defeated by Joshua. Joseph Parker defeated Wilder. The altercation never happened.
Boxing’s greatest moments are sometimes ruined by delay, diversion, and interim fights.
Joshua and Fury are currently at risk, particularly in a sport where spectacle is becoming a bigger distraction.
Joshua-Paul is not going to be the last of its kind. And it could be time to rework the screenplay if boxing wants to reverse course.
But in the competition from entertainment-based events like this, and boxing’s failure to put together battles people want to witness like Joshua v Fury in their heyday.
What financial deal did Paul and Joshua reportedly sign for this event?
Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua reportedly inked a massive bag deal for their December 19, 2025, boxing match streamed on Netflix, with estimates ranging from $184 million to$ 267 million total split between them.
Sources indicate an indeed split of around $92 million per fighter at the lower end, surpassing Paul’s $40 million from his Mike Tyson bout; Paul claimed $267 million on X, while experts like Oriana Morrison noted it exceeds previous Saudi events.
The Netflix- backed event drew from a mooted £140- 200 million pot, boosted by global appeal despite review, situating Joshua for a career-high payday amid his$ 150 million net worth.