Netflix looks to break streaming records with the highly anticipated Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul fight.
Anthony Joshua has confirmed he will face Jake Paul in a heavyweight clash on December 19, with the bout set to stream live on Netflix from the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
Announced on November 17, the fight is being billed as Judgment Day (which is misspelled on the official poster) and marks one of Netflix’s most high-profile boxing events to date. The platform will broadcast the bout globally as part of its expanding push into live sports and combat entertainment.
In his announcement, Joshua described Paul as “loco”, entering the ring with a professional record of 28 wins, 25 by knockout, and four losses. A 2012 Olympic gold medallist and two-time unified heavyweight world champion, he has held the WBA (Super), IBF, WBO and IBO titles across two reigns.
Paul, meanwhile, coupled his announcement on X with: “Yes, it’s real,” poking fun at people who doubted the fight would move past rumours given the experience and size difference.
The YouTuber-turned-fighter, known as “The Problem Child”, holds a 12-1 record with seven knockouts and has built his profile through a series of crossover bouts with former MMA champions and retired boxing stars. He also co-founded Most Valuable Promotions, which has played a central role in influencer and women’s boxing.
Netflix and numbers
While fans continue to debate why Joshua has taken the fight, Netflix will be preparing for what could become its biggest live sports stream yet. The platform’s record in combat sports is still young, but early results show its growing influence and reach.
Netflix first entered boxing in November 2024, when Paul defeated 58-year-old Mike Tyson by unanimous decision.
Despite criticism from legacy boxing fans, Netflix reported an average of 108 million live viewers and a peak of 65 million concurrent streams, calling it the most-streamed sporting event in history. However, the broadcast experienced some issues, with buffering complaints.
The streamer followed up with another milestone in July 2025, showing Katie Taylor vs Amanda Serrano III, its first all-women’s boxing card. Headlined at Madison Square Garden and promoted by Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, the event delivered an estimated 74 million viewers.
Then came Netflix’s biggest traditional boxing test of Canelo Álvarez vs Terence Crawford in September 2025, promoted by Zuffa Boxing, a new venture between TKO Group Holdings, Saudi-backed Sela and Turki Alalshikh.
The bout drew 41.4 million global viewers, became the most-watched men’s championship fight of the century and set a Nevada attendance record with 70,482 fans at Allegiant Stadium.
