What Is the Jake Paul Anthony Joshua Lawsuit?
The Jake Paul Anthony Joshua lawsuit is a threatened defamation action by Jake Paul and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) against critics who claimed Paul's December 19, 2025 fight with Anthony Joshua was fixed, not a lawsuit between the two fighters.
Joshua knocked Paul out in the sixth round at the Kaseya Center in Miami in a bout that MVP promoted and Netflix streamed. Paul broke his jaw in two places and needed surgery. After the fight, online critics claimed the two men had a secret agreement for Joshua not to knock Paul out. Paul's side denies any such agreement.
No court case over those claims has been reported. This page therefore tracks the threats, the people making them, and the separate lawsuits that share Paul's name. Searches of public reporting and the CourtListener federal docket index on October 22, 2026 found no complaint over the fight-fixing claims.
Why Was the Jake Paul Anthony Joshua Lawsuit Filed?
The Jake Paul Anthony Joshua lawsuit has not been filed in court and exists only as a threat, made because Paul's team says the fight-fixing claims are false and damaging.
The trigger was a widely shared post, written by an account claiming to be a lawyer. It alleged that the fighters had agreed Joshua would not knock Paul out and that Joshua broke the deal. MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian described the post on The Ariel Helwani Show on December 22, 2025, and said it drew about 200,000 likes.
Bidarian called the allegation absurd and pointed to Paul's injury, saying, "You don't fake a broken jaw." He also told TMZ that fixing a fight is a federal crime, which is why his side treats the claim as more than ordinary criticism.
Bidarian added that the fixing narrative appeared only because Paul lasted longer than critics expected. He noted that Joshua had said before the fight that anything short of an early knockout would be a failure.
What Harms Does the Jake Paul Anthony Joshua Lawsuit Allege?
The Jake Paul Anthony Joshua lawsuit threat alleges two related harms, defamation and damage to Paul's reputation and business, although no complaint exists to spell either one out. The descriptions below come from public statements by Paul, Bidarian, and Paul's reported lawyer, not from a court filing.
Defamation
Defamation is a legal claim that someone made a false statement of fact about another person that damaged that person's reputation.
MVP says the claim of a secret agreement is untrue, and Paul wrote that people with a public profile should face consequences for lies about his boxing career. Courts generally separate false statements of fact from opinion. A critic who says a fight looked scripted therefore stands in a different position from one who asserts that a specific agreement existed.
Paul is a public figure, so he would generally also have to show that the speaker knew the claim was false or recklessly ignored the truth. Only a court applying the law of the state where a suit is filed could decide whether any statement qualifies.
Accusation of a Federal Crime
Falsely accusing someone of a crime is a traditional category of defamation that courts often treat as especially serious because of the harm to reputation.
Bidarian told TMZ that rigging a fight would be a federal crime and that neither Paul nor MVP has ever discussed fixing any bout. A claim that Paul took part in a fixed fight therefore accuses him of illegal conduct, not just of staging entertainment. No court has yet ruled on whether such a claim would qualify, because no complaint has been filed.
Reputational and Business Damage
Reputational damage is harm to a person's standing and earning ability caused by statements that lead others to think less of them or do less business with them.
Reports say Paul's lawyer was retained "to pursue legal redress for the damages he has suffered," but no loss figure has been stated publicly. Paul earns income as a boxer and through MVP, which promoted the Joshua event. His own statement said critics should not "harm me or the sport I love and respect" without consequences.
What Is the Current Status of the Jake Paul Anthony Joshua Lawsuit?
The current status of the Jake Paul Anthony Joshua lawsuit is a legal threat with no filed case. As of October 22, 2026, no complaint over the fight-fixing claims appears in public reporting or in the CourtListener federal docket index.
Jake Paul and MVP Fight-Fixing Claims Threat
Paul and MVP have announced intended legal action but have not named a court, a defendant, or a specific claim. A December 24, 2025 Daily Sabah report said no lawsuits had been publicly filed, and later searches through October 22, 2026 found no filing. State court dockets and sealed filings do not appear in those sources, so a filing there cannot be ruled out.
| Court | None; no complaint located |
| Case Number | None assigned |
| Filed | Not filed as of October 22, 2026 |
| Threatening Parties | Jake Paul and Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) |
| Reported Counsel | Alex Spiro, per press reports |
| Claim Threatened | Defamation over fight-fixing allegations |
| Class Action or MDL | No |
| Last Public Statement | December 22, 2025, Nakisa Bidarian on The Ariel Helwani Show |
Defamation claims face statutes of limitations that differ by state and are often one to two years. The deadline would therefore depend on where Paul or MVP chose to sue, and no filing venue has been announced.
Has the Jake Paul Anthony Joshua Lawsuit Settled?
No. The Jake Paul Anthony Joshua lawsuit has not settled, because no case has been filed and no damages figure has been reported.
Paul's side has described its goal as consequences for people who spread false claims, not a specific payout. Any money recovered in a future suit would depend on the claims, the evidence, and the court.
No settlement fund or claims process exists for the public to join. The Jake Paul Anthony Joshua lawsuit threat concerns individual defamation claims by Paul and MVP, not a class of injured people.
Jake Paul Anthony Joshua Lawsuit Updates
These Jake Paul Anthony Joshua lawsuit updates track every public legal threat, related filing, and court event tied to the December 19, 2025 fight. As of October 22, 2026, no lawsuit over the fight-fixing claims has been filed. The timeline below lists each confirmed development in order.
Jake Paul Anthony Joshua Lawsuit Timeline of Events
No Fight-Fixing Lawsuit Located in Public Records
Searches of news coverage and the CourtListener federal docket index on October 22, 2026 found no defamation complaint filed by Jake Paul or Most Valuable Promotions over claims that the Anthony Joshua fight was fixed. Those sources do not cover every state docket or any sealed filing.
Heather Hardy Sues Paul and MVP in a Separate Case
Former WBO featherweight champion Heather Hardy sued Jake Paul, Most Valuable Promotions, COO Bryce Holden, and Holden Boxing in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas. She seeks more than $10 million over her August 2023 fight with Amanda Serrano and alleges negligence and violations of the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act. The case has no connection to the Joshua fight-fixing claims.
Report Says No Lawsuits Have Been Publicly Filed
Daily Sabah reported that no lawsuits over the fight-fixing claims had been publicly filed. It added that Paul was recovering from jaw surgery and teasing a return to the ring in 2026.
MVP Co-Founder Says Lawyers Are Going After Critics
Nakisa Bidarian told The Ariel Helwani Show that MVP's lawyers were "actively going after a number of people," including an online account claiming to be a lawyer whose post alleging a broken agreement drew about 200,000 likes. He declined to name specific targets.
Anthony Joshua Knocks Out Jake Paul in Miami
Anthony Joshua stopped Jake Paul in the sixth round at the Kaseya Center in Miami in a Netflix-streamed bout promoted by Paul's company, Most Valuable Promotions. Paul suffered a broken jaw, and online claims that the fight was fixed began within days.
Paul Threatens Deontay Wilder With a Cease and Desist Letter
Before the Joshua fight, Paul said he would send a cease and desist letter to former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, who had called the bout scripted. Paul said a lawsuit would follow because "these people will not stop lying."
Paul Tells His Team to Go After Critics and Reportedly Hires Alex Spiro
Jake Paul wrote on X that he had asked his team to "vigorously go after anyone who makes up lies" about his boxing career. Press reports said he retained attorney Alex Spiro, and commentator Piers Morgan later said he had not meant to suggest any of Paul's fights was predetermined.
Paul and Matchroom Ask Court to Dismiss Their Separate Defamation Case
Jake Paul and Matchroom Boxing asked the federal court in New York to dismiss with prejudice Matchroom Boxing Limited v. Paul, No. 1:22-cv-08178, after announcing a settlement on March 18, 2025. The terms were not disclosed, and the court closed the case on April 3, 2025.
Who Is Jake Paul Threatening to Sue Over the Anthony Joshua Fight?
The Jake Paul Anthony Joshua lawsuit threat has no named defendants, because Paul and MVP have not said publicly who they intend to sue. Bidarian declined to name specific targets when asked on December 22, 2025.
The only critic Paul has publicly singled out is former heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder, whom Paul warned with a cease and desist letter over a claim that the fight was scripted. Promoter Lou DiBella also questioned Joshua's effort, and Bidarian said DiBella dared MVP to sue him. Bidarian did not say that MVP's lawyers had contacted DiBella.
Paul's wider campaign against critics is reportedly led by attorney Alex Spiro, whose clients have included Elon Musk and Jay-Z. The campaign began in August 2025, months before the Joshua fight.
Anthony Joshua is not among the people Paul's team has threatened. Paul's side cites Joshua's own pre-fight statements as evidence that the fight was real.
How Does the Jake Paul Anthony Joshua Lawsuit Differ From Paul's Other Lawsuits?
The Jake Paul Anthony Joshua lawsuit threat is a different matter from Matchroom Boxing Limited v. Paul, No. 1:22-cv-08178 (S.D.N.Y.), a defamation case that Matchroom Boxing, promoter Eddie Hearn, and judge Glenn Feldman filed against Paul on September 23, 2022. That case concerned Paul's claims that Feldman was bribed to favor Matchroom fighters, and Judge Paul G. Gardephe presided. Paul was the defendant there, while here his side is the party threatening to sue.
Heather Hardy's September 2026 suit in Texas is also separate. It alleges negligence over a 2023 fight and does not involve fight-fixing claims or Anthony Joshua.
| Matter | Paul's Role | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Jake Paul Anthony Joshua fight-fixing claims | Threatening party | Threatened, no complaint filed |
| Matchroom Boxing Limited v. Paul | Defendant | Settled, dismissed with prejudice in 2025 |
| Hardy v. Most Valuable Promotions et al. | Defendant | Filed September 23, 2026, pending |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Jake Paul Anthony Joshua lawsuit about?
The Jake Paul Anthony Joshua lawsuit is a threatened defamation action by Jake Paul and Most Valuable Promotions against people who claimed Paul's December 19, 2025 fight with Anthony Joshua was fixed. No complaint has been filed.
Is the Jake Paul Anthony Joshua lawsuit a class action or MDL?
No. The Jake Paul Anthony Joshua lawsuit is not a class action or MDL, because it is a threat of individual defamation claims by Paul and MVP with no class of claimants to join.
Has Jake Paul filed a lawsuit over the Anthony Joshua fight?
Jake Paul has not filed a lawsuit over the Anthony Joshua fight that public reporting or the CourtListener federal docket index shows as of October 22, 2026. His promotion company said on December 22, 2025 that its lawyers were going after a number of people.
Did the Jake Paul Anthony Joshua lawsuit settle?
The Jake Paul Anthony Joshua lawsuit has not settled, because no case has been filed and no damages figure has been reported.
Why did Jake Paul threaten to sue people over the Joshua fight?
Jake Paul's team threatened to sue people over the Joshua fight because it says the claims of a secret agreement are false. MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian also called fight fixing a federal crime and pointed to Paul's broken jaw.
Is Anthony Joshua suing Jake Paul or being sued?
No. Anthony Joshua is not suing Jake Paul, and Paul's team has not threatened Joshua. Paul's side says the fight was real, and the threats target critics who said otherwise.
Is the Matchroom lawsuit against Jake Paul the same case?
No. The Matchroom lawsuit against Jake Paul is a separate 2022 defamation case over bribery claims about judging. It settled and was closed in April 2025, months before the Joshua fight.