For the first time in his boxing career, Jake Paul is an underdog, and a massive one at that.
Earlier this month, Paul was supposed to face Gervonta “Tank” Davis in an exhibition boxing match on Netflix; however, after Davis was hit with a lawsuit over domestic violence allegations, Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions pulled the plug on the matchup.
The fight is undoubtedly Paul’s biggest test in the squared circle thus far, given that he’s primarily fought opponents with limited boxing experience, who were often much older or smaller than him, or both.
In Joshua he faces a former Olympic gold medalist who was also a unified heavyweight world champion as recently as 2021. And as such, oddsmakers aren’t giving Paul much chance, with FanDuel putting Joshua as a massive -1200 betting favorite over Paul.
This is the first time Paul has ever been an underdog in a boxing match, with the closest bout being his 2023 fight against Tommy Fury. Paul was a slight betting favorite heading into that matchup, but lost a split decision. These odds suggest that Joshua has an implied winning percentage of almost 93 percent, with bettors needing to wager $1200 to earn a $100 payout.
This is not Joshua’s first foray into the more spectacular boxing matchups. In 2024, he brutally knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou in the second round of their heavyweight bout. Joshua has not competed since his knockout loss to Daniel Dubois in September of 2024.
Paul vs. Joshua takes place on Dec. 19 at Kaseya Center in Miami
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