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- Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua fight rules
- Is Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua a real fight?
- Differences from Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson
- How does scoring work?
Even in fight week, a common sentiment around Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua is that people will believe it when they see it.
Former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua (28-4-0, 25 KOs) takes on YouTuber turned boxing disruptor Jake Paul (12-1 7 KOs) at Miami's Kaseya Center.
Paul's professional record has been compiled predominantly against former MMA fighters, low-level and inactive professionals and, latterly, versus long-retired former world champions Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.
Joshua has been out of the ring since his devastating knockout defeat to fellow Briton Daniel Dubois last September and is plotting the last lap of a decorated career. He is, nevertheless, a gargantuan step up in class for Paul and represents the 'Problem Child's' first active heavyweight opponent.
Considering Paul was initially slated to face former super featherweight and lightweight world champion Gervonta Davis, having taken on a 58-year-old Tyson last year, the whole thing appears patently absurd.
This has led to obvious questions among fans over whether the fix is in. What are Paul and Joshua cooking up? Here's everything we know about the regulations for one of the strangest fights in the history of big-time boxing.
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Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua fight rules
- 8 rounds
- 3 minutes per round
- 10-ounce gloves
The Jake Paul vs. Anthony fight will be contested over 10 three-minute rounds. This is a shorter fight compared to male championship boxers, who normally fight 12 three-minute rounds.
Paul and Joshua also will wear 10-ounce gloves, the standard weight for professional heavyweight contests.
Is Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua an exhibition fight?
Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua is not an exhibition bout and will be contested as a professional heavyweight fight over eight rounds, sanctioned by the Florida Athletic Commission.
The fight will count on the official record for Paul and Joshua.
Paul's fight was originally scheduled to take place as an exhibition against Gervonta Davis before it was cancelled in November and Joshua was added to the card. That original matchup would have been a bout between a professional 135-pound fighter and Paul, who will come in at over 200 pounds to face Joshua, would not have been sanctioned to take place professionally.
Indeed, Florida is a notable host for Paul vs. Joshua. It is highly unlikely that the United States' most respected athletic commissions, in Nevada and New York, would have signed off on a fight that, to all intents and purposes, is a gross mismatch with all the danger that can engender.
Paul's exhibition bout with Davis was scrapped when fresh domestic abuse allegations emerged against the two-weight world champion.
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Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua differences from Mike Tyson fight
Even though Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson was officially a professional bout (just check Iron Mike's Boxrec page and shudder), Jake vs. Joshua has different stipulations.
On the face of it, somewhat remarkably, these changes make an already incredibly difficult assignment even tougher for Paul.
The YouTuber will box Joshua over a scheduled eight three-minute rounds. The Tyson fight, primarily to account for Mike's advancing years, was contested over eight two-minute rounds.
Joshua is accustomed to the 12-round, 3-minute championship format and last boxed a scheduled eight-rounder in his 12th professional contest — a second-round KO of Raphael Zumbano Love in May 2015.
Paul and Joshua will wear 10-ounce gloves, as is standard for professional heavyweight contests. In the Tyson fight, the aged champion and Paul wore 14-ounce gloves.
There is an element of novelty here, in that Joshua must tip the scales at no more than 245 pounds at the weigh-in. There are normally no restrictions in terms of how much a heavyweight must weigh.
But even this feels like an element that counts against Paul. Joshua has weighed a little over 250 pounds in his past four fights but getting to the contracted weight should be no problem at all - he was 244.5 pounds for his August 2022 rematch defeat to Oleksandr Usyk.
After joining up with Usyk's training team in Valencia, Spain for this fight, the weight clause means it is more likely Joshua will have whipped himself into prime shape for fight night.
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How does scoring work for Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua?
Jake vs. Joshua will be scored on the 10-point must system, as is standard in professional boxing.
The three ringside judges, positioned on separate sides of the ring, will look to reward the fighters for effective aggression, hard and clean punches, defense and ring generalship. Whichever boxer they decide has been superior during each three-minute segment will be awarded that round 10-9. If there is a knockdown in the round, it will be scored 10-8 to the boxer scoring the knockdown, 10-7 for two knockdowns, and so on.
A judge can award a 10-8 round without a knockdown if they believe one fighter has been completely dominant and has visibly hurt their foe. In a round where both fighters score knockdowns, the deductions cancel one another out and the round will be scored 10-9 to whoever is adjudged to have been the better boxer across the three minutes. Judges can score a round 10-10 if they are unable to separate the fighters.
Points can be deducted for persistent fouling, such as headbutts and low blows. However, this is something the referee must adjudicate and communicate to the ringside judges, who will then ensure it is reflected on their scorecards.
The scores are then tallied if the fight goes the distance to decide the winner. If all three judges agree on the winner, a unanimous decision is declared. If two judges score the bout for one boxer and the other scores it in favour of the opponent, the fighter with two winning cards is victorious by split decision. If two judges score the bout for the same boxer and the third has it a draw, the result is a majority decision win.
Fights can be draws by all three of those methods:
- Unanimous draw: All three cards are level
- Split draw: One card in favor of each fighter and a third level
- Majority draw: Two of the three scorecards level
Given both Paul and Joshua have pledged knockouts, not to mention the fact that it would be a shuddering embarrassment for Joshua if he does not win swiftly inside the distance, the judges should expect an easy night in Miami.