The highly anticipated fight between Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua ended much as many expected, with the former heavyweight champion scoring a sixth-round stoppage. As the bout concluded in Miami, fans quickly revived one familiar storyline: the Drake curse.
Paul suffered his first knockout loss at the Kaseya Centre, managing to last longer than Francis Ngannou had in his own clash with Joshua. Despite the defeat, Paul showed resilience before eventually succumbing to Joshua’s power.
Hours before the opening bell, Drake had publicly backed Paul. The rapper posted an Instagram story urging him on and revealed a $200,000 wager in his favour. Once Paul went down in the sixth round, the bet vanished, and social media wasted no time linking the outcome to Drake’s long-running reputation for bad luck.
Drake lost $200,000 on Stake betting on Jake Paul to beat Anthony Joshua 💀 pic.twitter.com/EkBLqw5NJV
— NO CONTEXT HUMANS (@HumansNoContext) December 20, 2025The so-called Drake curse is nothing new. Over the years, the artist has openly admitted to massive gambling losses, including tens of millions tied to high-profile UFC and boxing bets. As a result, fans have come to joke that any athlete he supports publicly is destined to lose. This time, Paul became the latest name added to that list.
However, the loss did little to damage Paul’s standing with fans. On the contrary, many praised him for taking a genuine risk rather than staging a novelty bout. Joshua remains one of the most dangerous heavyweights of his era, and Paul stayed competitive long enough to make the contest uncomfortable before the stoppage.
Read: Anthony Joshua Stops Jake Paul With Sixth-Round Knockout in Miami
The physical cost of the fight became clear moments later. Speaking in the ring to Ariel Helwani, Paul did not downplay the damage. He admitted he believed his jaw was broken, a comment that quickly shifted the tone of online discussion.
That moment cut through the memes. While jokes about the Drake curse spread rapidly, many viewers recognised that Paul had taken real punishment from a seasoned elite fighter. Joshua, meanwhile, delivered the decisive finish that much of the boxing world had demanded.
