Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua Betting Picks: Best Bets for the Boxing Supercard

Though the global MMA season of 2025 has come to an end, there’s one more major showdown in the combat sports world that is about to go down. The boxing world will see the next bout of YouTuber Jake Paul, as he takes on former two-time unified heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.

Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua goes down on Friday, December 19, from the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.

This will be Paul’s first fight since his lackluster victory over Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in a critically-panned bout from this past June. He has won six straight since losing to Tommy Fury. Joshua, meanwhile, has not been seen since his fifth-round knockout loss at the hands of Daniel Dubois in their September 2024 heavyweight title fight.

The undercard will see multiple women’s boxing championships on the line. This includes the featured bout that sees Alycia Baumgardner put up her WBA, IBF, and WBO super featherweight titles against Leila Beaudoin, as well as Cherneka Johnson defending her undisputed bantamweight title against Amanda Galle.

The card will also include a six-round cruiserweight bout that features a pair of MMA legends in former longtime UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva and former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley.

Anderson Silva vs. Tyron Woodley

You shouldn’t expect a fire fight between these two as if they were in their MMA primes. That said, Woodley is competing in his first bit of combat action since 2021 – when his UFC career ended with a submission loss to Vicente Luque at UFC 260 before losing to Jake Paul twice, including one time via knockout.

Silva, meanwhile, went the distance with Paul in his last professional boxing bout in October 2022. He has scored wins over Julio Caesar Chavez Jr. and Tito Ortiz, and he and Chael Sonnen boxed in an exhibition last year. More recent activity + wins in boxing + facing Woodley (predominantly a wrestler) = a Silva win.

BET: Silva via decision (DraftKings: -105)

Alycia Baumgardner vs. Leila Beaudoin

Alycia Baumgardner is someone who Jake Paul has put a lot of emphasis and praise on as one of the faces of women’s boxing today. Her track record speaks for itself, too, as a someone who has scored a victory over Mikaela Mayer, has been in the ring with Delfine Persoon, and avenged the sole loss of her career against Christina Linardtou. Leila Beaudoin has her own fair share of success with her WBO International super featherweight title reign; however, Baumgardner has the better resume and seems to be the more well-rounded fighter.

BET: Baumgardner via decision (DraftKings: -200)

Cherneka Johnson vs. Amanda Galle

Cherneka Johnson is a solid all-around boxer that has taken over the bantamweight division. I expect her to be on the forward foot a lot in this battle, trying to take control via overwhelming Galle. Galle’s counterpunching is effective, but it probably won’t be enough to put a hold on Johnson’s attacks.

BET: Johnson via decision (DraftKings & FanDuel: -210)

Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua

So, why haven’t I said anything about the main event? I just don’t see good betting value on it. Many are expecting Anthony Joshua to win because of his world heavyweight championship pedigree and his power. Plenty of boxing fans want to see Jake Paul get KO’d. Of course, there’s always the fear that this fight ends up being a letdown where Paul cruises to a decision (and we’ve seen plenty of that before).

If anything, the best value in this fight is within the rounds. Those in the “I expect a circus that Paul wins” camp can be satisfied, as the only way Paul wins this one is by decision. We’ve seen Paul try to get off to hot starts with early aggression, but that won’t work against a power puncher like Joshua. Joshua might try to be aggressive, but Paul has the speed advantage. Even if Joshua gets the knockout win, it probably isn’t going to be in the first round.

Can this fight at least reach the middle of the third before such a thing can happen? I believe it can.

BET: Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua to go OVER 2.5 rounds (DraftKings: -145)