Matchroom CEO Frank Smith refutes claims that the upcoming fight between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua will be fixed. Recent reports suggested that the two fighters were finalizing a deal to meet this Christmas, and their heavyweight bout has now been officially confirmed to occur on December 19 in Miami. The match will consist of eight three-minute rounds with both fighters using 10oz gloves.
Despite previous accusations of fight-fixing against Paul since his professional debut in 2020, he has consistently denied any wrongdoing. The boxing community has expressed skepticism about the legitimacy of the fight, labeling it as ‘rigged.’
In response to the doubts, Eddie Hearn’s associate, Smith, downplayed the allegations, emphasizing that it is a standard eight-round professional fight. He highlighted that Joshua is determined to knock out Paul and that the match will be streamed live on Netflix, available to viewers with Sky’s £15 Essential TV bundle.
The decision to arrange this showdown between Joshua and Paul came after Paul’s cancellation of a previous fight due to his opponent’s legal issues. Following the cancellation, Paul sought out various opponents for a final bout of the year, leading to Joshua accepting the challenge. Smith revealed that the negotiations progressed quickly, culminating in Joshua agreeing to the match within a week.
The Matchroom CEO expressed some reservations about the fight, noting that it was not a move he would have advised if managing Paul. Despite the doubts, the highly-anticipated clash between Joshua and Paul is set to take place in Miami just before Christmas, with the event scheduled to stream live on Netflix.