Here's how Paul, who weighs significantly less than the former two-time heavyweight champion, is allowed to fight on Friday night.
Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua weight difference: How Netflix's fight got sanctioned despite huge gap originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Friday night's main event at the Kaseya Center, Jake Paul will be the significantly smaller boxer. He faces former two-time unified heavyweight champion, Anthony Joshua on Dec. 19 in Miami. This marks a massive step up in both size and caliber for Paul, who has matched up well physically with his previous opponents.
Joshua possesses imposing physical tools, standing a towering 6-foot-6 with an 82-inch reach, giving him 5-inch height and 6-inch reach advantage over the 6-foot-1 Paul. Historically, Joshua has been true heavyweight, weighing around 250 to 255-pounds.
So, how is this fight sanctioned despite the physical disparity? The key lies in the contract stipulations.
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Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua height and weight difference
The most significant physical factor in this bout is the major weight disparity between Paul and Joshua, despite the fight being held at the heavyweight limit.
Jake Paul (6'1, 227 LBS) faces off vs. Anthony Joshua (6'6, 245 LBS) 😳🔥
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 21, 2025
(Via @jakepaul) pic.twitter.com/fhfocN8W8I
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Jake Paul height and weight
Paul stands at 6-foot-1(185 cm) and while he has fought most of his career at the cruiserweight limit of under 200 pounds, he is competing in the heavyweight division for this bout, having weighed in at 227 pounds. He is expected to enter the ring against Joshua, who will weigh between 215 and 230 pounds.
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Anthony Joshua height and weight
Joshua is five inches taller than Paul and will tower over his opponent come Friday night. Joshua has historically weighed over 250 pounds, he is contractually obligated to weigh in at no more than 245 pounds for this event.
Jake Paul was not taking this face off with Anthony Joshua serious 😭 pic.twitter.com/zAugLBcdfR
— Happy Punch (@HappyPunch) December 18, 2025
Even with Joshua's weight restriction, he will enter the ring with a substantial size advantage.
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What weight class is Jake Paul?
Paul has competed at cruiserweight, which has a maximum weight of 200 pounds.
But, for some of his fights -- including when he faced the legendary Mike Tyson in 2024 -- he has fought at the heavyweight level.
The World Boxing Association has ranked Jake Paul as the No. 14 cruiserweight contender in the world 🥊‼️
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) July 1, 2025
Paul can now fight Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez for the unified cruiserweight championship title 👀 pic.twitter.com/PIJCcantTl
In 2025, Paul became eligible for a WBA cruiserweight title.
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What weight class is Anthony Joshua?
Joshua has been a heavyweight his entire boxing career.
He first gained international recognition by winning a gold medal in the Super Heavyweight division at the 2012 London Olympics. When he turned professional in 2013, he immediately campaigned as a heavyweight, with his lowest professional weight being around 229 pounds early in his career.
Throughout his rise to become a two-time unified Heavyweight Champion, Joshua consistently weighed in around 245 to 255 pounds for his title defenses and major bouts against elite fighters like Wladimir Klitschko, Joseph Parker, and Oleksandr Usyk.
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Why is Anthony Joshua allowed to fight Jake Paul?
Joshua is allowed to fight Paul because the bout is an officially sanctioned professional heavyweight boxing match, meeting the requirements of the Florida Athletic Commission.
The contest is taking place in the heavyweight division, which legally starts at anything over 200 pounds and has no upper weight limit. Since Paul is stepping up in weight and Joshua is a natural heavyweight, they technically fall into the same class.
Paul is expected to weigh-in somewhere between 215 and 225 pounds.
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Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua weight limit
The weight limit requirement really only applies to the much larger fighter, Joshua.
To mitigate some of the size difference, the contract includes a specific stipulation that Joshua cannot weigh more than 245 pounds, forcing the fighter to come in weighing less than he usually does.
Anthony Joshua is looking lean as he slims down to 245 lbs for his fight against Jake Paul next Friday.. pic.twitter.com/yMosXxRDON
— Boxing Kingdom (@BoxingKingdom14) December 12, 2025
With Paul stepping up in weight and there being no upwards requirement in the heavyweight division, Paul can come into the fight at his usual weight; but, to bridge the obvious physical gap between the two fighters, a ceiling has been put on Joshua's weight.
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