Jake Paul is back in the ring with a boxing star—and someone from his generation.
The content-creator-turned-boxer battles two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua on Friday at the Kaseya Center in Miami.
It’s unclear how much the competitors will take home. Conflicting reports have estimated the purse between $187 million, to be split evenly, and $297 million, as Paul claimed.
If it were on the low end of that range, as The Daily Mail reported, each fighter would take home nearly $94 million, more than Joshua has ever made in his boxing career. He reportedly made around $50 million for his fight against Francis Ngannou last year.
When asked by TMZ earlier this month whether the upcoming fight would bring his largest payday, Joshua said: “Unfortunately, it’s not.”
Combat sports journalist Ariel Halwani said the two fighters will receive about $40 million to $50 million apiece.
Fight organizer MVP Promotions did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Joshua, 36, is a heavy favorite to win. Paul, 28, enters the match with a 12–1–0 record, but he’s been criticized for fighting non-boxers or legends significantly past their prime, including Mike Tyson last year.
While Joshua has appeared to slow down, especially after a knockout defeat to Daniel Dubois last year, the British fighter is only four years removed from being a unified heavyweight champion. Paul is a seven-to-one underdog, according to DraftKings.
Front Office Sports can confirm that DraftKings could lose nearly $100 million if Paul is able to upset Joshua. The New York Post was the first to report on DraftKings’ potential loss.
With so much money involved, speculation has bubbled up about whether the result has been predetermined. Eddie Hearn, Joshua’s promoter, told BBC that it “would be illegal” if the fight were scripted.
“This is a professional contest and a sanctioned bout where people are betting on it,” Hearn said. “And do you think I would ever allow AJ to have a script with Jake? A script where we might lose or even hold him up and look bad? No way.”
Despite the big money the fight is not expected to break any betting records on DraftKings, a source confirmed to FOS.
The fight does not have the same pull as last year’s bout between Paul and Tyson, held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, which had a capacity almost four times larger than the Kaseya Center.
It’s unclear whether the fight will attract a sellout, but there are a significant number of tickets available on TickPick, with prices as low as $36 as of 4:30 p.m. ET.
How to Watch Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua
The fight will be streamed live on Netflix, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
The main card features three other fights, including one with 50-year-old UFC legend Anderson Silva.
If the main event starts around the same time as the Paul vs. Tyson fight last year, it should begin around 11 p.m. ET.
