Jake Paul Anthony Joshua Lawsuit, Jake Paul’s Lawyers Are Coming, The Shocking Truth About Who’s Really Getting Sued
Jake Paul is NOT suing Anthony Joshua. Instead, his promotion company MVP is threatening lawsuits against critics who claimed the December 20, 2025 Netflix fight was rigged. MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian announced “our lawyers are actively going after a number of people” who alleged the fight was fixed, including one viral post with 200,000 likes claiming Joshua had an agreement not to knock out Paul. Paul lost by sixth-round knockout and suffered a broken jaw—yet conspiracy theories won’t stop.
🚨 THE TRUTH: Who’s Getting Sued?
Jake Paul is NOT suing Anthony Joshua. That’s a viral misunderstanding spreading online.
Who Jake Paul IS threatening to sue:
- Social media users claiming the fight was scripted
- A viral post (200K+ likes) alleging Joshua violated a “no knockout” agreement
- Boxing promoter Lou DiBella, who publicly questioned the fight’s legitimacy
- Former WBC champion Deontay Wilder, who called the fight “scripted” before it happened
- Critics suggesting Joshua intentionally waited until round 6 to knock Paul out
The Real Story: The fight took place Friday, December 20, 2025 at the Kaseya Center in Miami and streamed on Netflix. Joshua defeated Paul with a sixth-round knockout, leaving Paul with a broken jaw.
What Actually Happened in the Fight
The Basics:
- Date: December 20, 2025
- Location: Kaseya Center, Miami
- Platform: Netflix
- Result: Anthony Joshua wins by 6th round knockout
- Paul’s injury: Broken jaw
- Purse: Estimated $137 million split between fighters (~$68.5M each)
Why It Was a Mismatch:
- Anthony Joshua: Two-time unified heavyweight world champion, professional boxer with decades of experience
- Jake Paul: YouTuber-turned-boxer with 12-2 record (now 12-3)
- Weight class difference
- At least 5 inches height difference
- Experience gap: Joshua is one of the world’s best heavyweight boxers
The Knockout: Joshua knocked Paul to the floor with a powerful blow to his jaw in the sixth round. The fight was stopped. Paul later tweeted: “Time to rest, recover and return to Cruiserweight.”
The Conspiracy Theories Explained
Despite Paul’s obvious loss and broken jaw, critics immediately claimed the fight was rigged. Here are the theories floating around:
Theory #1: “Joshua Was Paid NOT to Knock Out Paul” The most viral claim suggests Joshua had a contractual agreement not to knock Paul out to protect Paul’s image. The theory says Joshua violated this agreement, sacrificing part of his purse to knock out Paul anyway.
Bidarian addressed this directly: “Basically, this post said there was an agreement for ‘AJ’ not to knock out Jake, but ‘AJ’ disregarded the agreement and decided to mitigate his payday but knock out Jake Paul. So it’s pretty astonishing what people say”.
Theory #2: “Joshua Waited Too Long” Critics argue that because Joshua didn’t knock Paul out in round 1 or 2, he must have been holding back intentionally. Joshua himself was on record saying “if he didn’t finish him in the first round, that would be disappointing, that would be a failure”.
Bidarian’s response: The narrative changed as fight night approached. Joshua is a superior fighter, but that doesn’t mean every punch lands perfectly in round one.
Theory #3: “All Paul’s Fights Are Fixed” This isn’t new. Paul faced similar accusations after his Mike Tyson fight, where the 58-year-old former champion appeared to hold back. Critics cite Paul’s pattern of fighting older or less experienced opponents as evidence of manipulation.
MVP’s Legal Response
Nakisa Bidarian appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show on Monday, December 22, 2025 to push back hard against the accusations.
Who Bidarian Mentioned by Name: Lou DiBella – Fellow boxing promoter who took to social media expressing doubts about the Joshua fight. One post that caught Bidarian’s attention showed DiBella’s carelessness about being sued, signing off with “This isn’t good for boxing”.
Who Bidarian Didn’t Name (But Is Targeting):
- The viral post author claiming to be a lawyer (200K+ likes)
- Multiple other critics spreading fixed-fight narratives
Bidarian’s Defense: “There’s never once in Jake Paul’s career been any talk of that sort of [thing], anything to do with the fight being anything but a real fight. That’s exactly the same situation as any real fight. That’s exactly the same thing here for the Anthony Joshua fight”.
He emphasized Paul’s broken jaw as proof: “It’s just beyond mind-blowing that people would think that.”
Jake Paul’s Previous Legal Threats
This isn’t the first time Paul has threatened lawsuits over rigging allegations.
June 2025: After Chávez Jr. Fight Paul posted on X: “After years of letting it slide as just ‘haters being haters’, I have asked my team to vigorously go after anyone who makes up lies about my boxing career”.
December 2025: Before Joshua Fight When Deontay Wilder called the upcoming Paul-Joshua fight “scripted,” Paul responded: “I gave them a cease and desist letter in their email for lying on my name. Then the lawsuit’s coming right after because these people won’t stop lying”.
The Pattern: Paul has consistently threatened legal action but hasn’t yet filed major defamation lawsuits against critics. Whether MVP will actually follow through this time remains to be seen.
The Legal Landscape: Can Paul Actually Win?
If MVP files defamation lawsuits, here’s what they’d need to prove:
Elements of Defamation:
- False Statement: The fight was NOT rigged
- Publication: The statement was made publicly
- Injury: Paul’s reputation or business was damaged
- Fault: The speaker knew it was false or acted with reckless disregard for truth
Paul’s Challenges:
- Public Figure Status: As a celebrity, Paul must prove “actual malice”—that critics KNEW their statements were false or acted with reckless disregard for truth
- Opinion vs. Fact: Many statements like “I think it’s scripted” are opinions, which are protected speech
- Truth Defense: If critics can show evidence the fight WAS rigged, they win (but there’s no such evidence)
Paul’s Advantages:
- His broken jaw is objective proof he didn’t hold back or fake injury
- Fixing a professional sporting event is a federal crime, making false accusations particularly damaging
- Some statements cross from opinion into factual claims of criminal conduct
Most Likely Outcome: MVP will continue sending cease-and-desist letters, but actual lawsuits are less likely. Defamation cases are expensive, time-consuming, and hard to win against public figures defending their opinions.
Why People Think Paul’s Fights Are Rigged
The skepticism isn’t coming from nowhere. Here’s why critics doubt Paul:
1. His Opponent Selection Paul has a history of fighting:
- Former MMA fighters past their prime (Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley)
- 58-year-old Mike Tyson
- Older boxers (Anderson Silva at 47)
- Fighters in different weight classes
2. The Mike Tyson “Performance” Paul’s November 2024 fight with Mike Tyson raised eyebrows when the heavyweight legend appeared to pull punches and move cautiously. Many believed Tyson could have destroyed Paul but didn’t.
3. Netflix’s Stake Netflix invested heavily in Paul’s boxing content. Critics argue the streaming giant has financial incentive to keep Paul winning or at least looking competitive.
4. Paul’s Record At 12-2 (now 12-3), Paul has built an unusually successful record for someone who started boxing professionally in 2020. Traditional boxing paths take much longer.
5. Social Media Skepticism The Keith Lee-style culture of questioning everything celebrities do has created an environment where people automatically assume manipulation.
What Anthony Joshua Said
Importantly, Joshua has NOT accused Paul or MVP of any wrongdoing.
Before the fight, Joshua made clear he intended to knock Paul out early, saying a first-round knockout would be the only acceptable outcome.
After the fight, Joshua hasn’t engaged with conspiracy theories or suggested anything improper occurred.
The Reality: Joshua is an elite heavyweight champion who fought a smaller, less experienced opponent. He won decisively. There’s no reason for him to risk his reputation or commit a federal crime for a fight he was always expected to win.
What Happens Next
Immediate Future: Paul tweeted after the fight: “Time to rest, recover and return to Cruiserweight”, suggesting he plans to continue boxing after his jaw heals.
Legal Actions: MVP has threatened multiple critics but hasn’t filed any public lawsuits yet (as of December 24, 2025). Whether cease-and-desist letters escalate to actual litigation remains to be seen.
Paul’s Career: Despite the brutal knockout loss, Paul remains one of boxing’s biggest draws. His Netflix partnership and promotional company MVP give him continued influence in the sport.
Joshua’s Future: Joshua continues his career as one of boxing’s premier heavyweights. The Paul fight was likely a massive payday with minimal risk to his legacy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is Jake Paul suing Anthony Joshua?
A: NO. Jake Paul is NOT suing Anthony Joshua. MVP is threatening to sue CRITICS who claimed the fight was rigged, not Joshua himself.
Q: Was the Jake Paul vs. Anthony Joshua fight fixed?
A: There’s no credible evidence the fight was fixed. Paul suffered a broken jaw and a legitimate knockout loss. Both fighters appear to have fought legitimately.
Q: Who is Jake Paul actually threatening to sue?
A: Social media critics making viral posts claiming the fight was scripted, boxing promoter Lou DiBella who questioned the fight’s legitimacy, and others spreading conspiracy theories.
Q: Has Jake Paul filed any lawsuits yet?
A: Not as of December 24, 2025. MVP has sent cease-and-desist letters but hasn’t filed public lawsuits.
Q: Why do people think Jake Paul’s fights are fake?
A: His pattern of fighting older or less experienced opponents, the suspicious Mike Tyson fight, Netflix’s financial stake, and general social media skepticism fuel conspiracy theories.
Q: Can Jake Paul win a defamation lawsuit?
A: It’s difficult. As a public figure, he must prove “actual malice”—that critics knew their statements were false. Many criticisms are opinions, which are protected speech.
Q: How much did Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua get paid?
A: Reports suggest they split approximately $137 million, meaning roughly $68.5 million each (pre-tax).
Q: Did Anthony Joshua say the fight was rigged?
A: No. Joshua has not suggested anything improper occurred and fought to win decisively.
Q: What happened to Deontay Wilder’s lawsuit threat?
A: Wilder was threatened before the fight for calling it “scripted.” No lawsuit has been filed yet (as of December 24, 2025).
Q: Is Jake Paul retiring from boxing?
A: No. Despite saying he needs time to recover and return to cruiserweight, he hasn’t announced retirement.
The Bottom Line
Jake Paul is NOT suing Anthony Joshua. The widespread confusion stems from MVP announcing legal threats against CRITICS who claim the December 20, 2025 fight was rigged.
Key facts:
- Anthony Joshua legitimately knocked out Jake Paul in round 6
- Paul suffered a broken jaw in the process
- MVP is targeting social media users and promoters spreading conspiracy theories
- No actual lawsuits have been filed yet (as of December 24, 2025)
- Cease-and-desist letters have been sent, but litigation is uncertain
- Joshua has not suggested anything improper occurred
Paul consistently maintains his innocence against rigging allegations, emphasizing that fixing a professional sporting event constitutes a federal crime. The broken jaw provides physical evidence the fight was legitimate.
Whether MVP will actually file defamation lawsuits or continue threatening critics remains to be seen. Paul’s team has made similar threats in the past without following through with major litigation.
For now, the fight stands as Paul’s most legitimate test against an elite opponent—and a decisive loss that proves he’s not invincible, even if conspiracy theorists refuse to believe it.
Last Updated: December 24, 2025
This article is for informational purposes only and is based on publicly available statements and news reports. It does not constitute legal advice.
About the Author
Sarah Klein, JD, is a licensed attorney and legal content strategist with over 12 years of experience across civil, criminal, family, and regulatory law. At All About Lawyer, she covers a wide range of legal topics — from high-profile lawsuits and courtroom stories to state traffic laws and everyday legal questions — all with a focus on accuracy, clarity, and public understanding.
Her writing blends real legal insight with plain-English explanations, helping readers stay informed and legally aware.
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