At Thursday’s official weigh-in in Miami, former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua had no trouble gaining weight before facing social media disruptor Jake Paul.
Joshua, who was unable to exceed 245 pounds (111 kg), tipped the scales at 243.4 pounds (110 kg), per the rules of the fight.
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Joshua, who typically fights in the heavyweight division at around 250 pounds (11 kg), was the lightest he’s ever been since winning his first heavyweight title fight against Oleksandr Usyk on September 25, 2021.
Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) weighed 216 pounds (98 kilograms), which is 13 centimeters shorter than the Briton, who is 16 centimeters taller at 1. 98m (Six feet, six inches).
The American’s weight exceeded his usual cruiserweight limit of 91 kg, or 200 pounds, just twice in his professional career.
Paul riles up the audience [Marco Bello/Reuters]
After the weigh-in, Paul, who jeered up the audience and took to the stage first, said Joshua was nervous before the fight and that he would “shock the world” on Friday.
Fear is what I smell. I can see something in his eyes, Paul said.
“He is under a lot of pressure.” I’m free to fight. I’ve already won. He loses money in this circumstance. I’ve got him where I want him to be.
Joshua asserted that his talent would prevail over the smaller, less experienced boxer, who remained composed throughout the weigh-in if he had other options aside from when he shoved Paul’s fist away from his face and exclaimed “don’t touch me.”
“I’ll just outclass this kid,” I said. I’m a strong fighter. That is the difference. The 2012 Olympic champion described herself as a “serious, serious fighter.”
On Friday (03:30 GMT Saturday), the fight will take place at 10:30 PM at Miami’s Kaseya Center (03:30 GMT Sunday).
The event is an eight-round sanctioned bout with the use of 10-ounce gloves.
Joshua is making his first appearance in the ring since September 2024 when he defeated fellow Briton Daniel Dubois.
Prior to their unified junior lightweight title fight, challenger Leila Beaudoin placed at 130 pounds (58.9 kg) while defending champion Alycia Baumgardner placed at 129.2 pounds (58.6 kg) in the weigh-in for the co-main event.
Baumgardner is the clear favorite to keep her titles, having not lost any since 2018.
Leila Beaudoin and Alycia Baumgardner square off in the ceremonial weigh-in prior to their co-main event fight [Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images via AFP]
Early on Friday, European Union leaders made a decision not to use frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine’s defense of the country’s ongoing conflict with Russia.
Instead, 23 of the 27 EU member states will offer an interest-free loan worth 90 billion euros ($106bn). Following months of deliberation and tense discussions on Thursday night, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic each received an exemption to pass the deal.
If Ukraine wants to avoid bankruptcy as soon as April, the European Commission has proposed a plan to use some of the bloc’s frozen Russian central bank assets. This is estimated to cost the country an additional 136 billion euros ($159 billion) over the next two years.
However, Belgian Prime Minister Bart De Wever had declined to agree to this without giving “ironclad guarantees” that Belgium, where the majority of the country’s assets are located, would be shielded from potential Russian legal retaliation.
If Moscow successfully files a lawsuit against Euroclear, a provider of financial market infrastructure (FMI) in the Eurozone, where the funds are held, Belgium estimated that it might be left owing billions of euros.
Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orban referred to the plan as “the dead end,” while Slovakia and Hungary had also voiced strong opposition to it.
Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, has claimed that using frozen assets to finance Ukraine would be theft-like.
On October 23, 2025, Euroclear’s Brussels, Belgium headquarters is visible. [Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP Photo]
How would the use of Russian assets have gone?
In order to provide Ukraine with an initial 90-billion-euro ($106bn) loan, the EU would have borrowed from Euroclear, a Belgian-based clearing house with assets worth more than 40 trillion euros ($47 trillion). Up until 2027, this will cover roughly two-thirds of Ukraine’s funding needs.
If Russia had agreed to pay Ukraine’s veterans for the war, the loan would only have needed to be paid back. According to the European Parliament, reconstruction costs from the war are estimated to be worth about $524 billion.
Which nations possess Russian assets that have been frozen?
Since the Ukrainian invasion of 2022, more than 289.5 billion euros (339.3 billion) of Russian assets have been frozen by Western nations, with the EU holding 209 billion euros (247 billion) of these. The largest share, 180 billion euros ($210 billion), is held by Belgium.
Belgium holds 180 billion euros ($210bn)
Japan holds 28 billion euros ($32.8bn)
The UK holds 27 billion euros ($31.6bn)
France holds 19 billion euros ($22.3bn)
Canada holds 15.1 billion euros ($17.7bn)
Luxembourg holds 10 billion euros ($11.7bn)
6.2% of Switzerland‘s total is $7.3 billion.
US assets total 4.3 billion euros (5 billion).
Which EU members were against the use of Russian assets?
Numerous EU members, besides Belgium, are against the plan, with Belgium voicing concern that using frozen assets without solid EU guarantees is “fundamentally wrong.”
It warned that Russia could target Belgian property in Russia in response, and that other Russia-friendly nations could file legal claims against Euroclear as well.
Viktor Orban, the prime minister of Hungary, said that obtaining Russian assets would increase the conflict in Ukraine.
The European Union would like to take the money from one of the warring parties and then give it to another one, he said to reporters, “There are two countries that are at war. It’s not the European Union, it’s Russia and Ukraine.”
It is “marging into the war,” it says. We should not do that, the Belgian prime minister said.
Which nations’ assets have Europe frozen?
While Russia is the most well-known non-European nation with significant assets that have been frozen in Europe, several other nations outside of Europe are also subject to asset freezes as a result of the EU sanctions.
Most other countries on this list have mostly government-related assets, oligarchs, or specific state-owned companies frozen, compared to their entire national reserves, despite the EU’s unique situation, which has caused Russia’s situation.
The EU has placed asset freezes and a ban on making money available in at least 31 nations, according to the sanctions tracker from the European Commission. Other asset freezes occur directly as a result of EU decisions, including those regarding Venezuela, while many of the moves are mandated by the UN and then put into place by the EU.
Find out which other nations’ assets have the EU frozen, by looking at the table below.
In response to Venezuela’s demise of democratic rule and human rights abuses under President Nicolas Maduro, the EU frozen the assets of Venezuelan entities and individuals in 2017. The European Council only recently extended these measures until January 2027, specifically to those who committed serious violations.
The European Council imposed sanctions on Syria in 2013 including asset freezes and financial restrictions. Member states are prohibited from making any new commitments to the Syrian government, including grants, financial aid, or concessional loans.
These measures were in place to protest human rights violations committed under Bashar al-Assad’s regime, which was finally overthrown in December of last year. Any individuals or organizations that supported the regime and the production of chemical weapons were included in the measures expanded in 2014 as well.
The EU continued to freeze the Assad regime and the drug trade after the government was overthrown in December 2024, but it suspended some of these measures to support the political transition in Syria.
Which nations have been subject to asset freezes by the UK and the US?
The United Kingdom has frozen the assets of individuals and entities from 22 nations, with the majority of them being EU-sanctioned, according to the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI), which monitors financial sanctions.
Typically, assets are frozen using the Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) List. The US has almost completely frozen the assets of four nations, including Cuba, Iran, North Korea, and Russia, according to the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which lists various sanctions levels. US President Donald Trump lifted US sanctions against Syria in an executive order issued in June of this year.
After overnight violence broke out over the death of a prominent youth leader of the uprising in 2024, Bangladesh’s security forces have taken control of the capital, Dhaka, and other major cities, igniting fears of further unrest ahead of the country’s national elections in February.
After protests turned violent late on Thursday, police and paramilitary units increased patrols in Dhaka, aiming specifically at political buildings, media buildings, and cultural institutions. Residents reported high tensions, especially before Friday morning prayers, even though the streets were largely calm on Friday morning.
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The unrest came after Sharif Osman Hadi, a 32-year-old spokesperson for Platform for Revolution, passed away. As Hadi launched his campaign last Friday in Dhaka, he was shot in the head by masked attackers.
He was flown to Singapore for advanced care, where he passed away after six days on life support, first at a nearby hospital.
Hadi was a key figure in the student-led uprising that forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee the nation last year. Hadi was also known for his outspoken criticism of India, while Inquilab Mancha describes itself as a “revolutionary cultural platform inspired by the spirit of uprising.”
Protesters detained the English-language Daily Star and Prothom Alo, Bangladesh’s largest daily newspaper, on Thursday night. Later, firefighters extinguished the blaze at The Daily Star while ensuring security for journalists trapped inside.
Protesters chanted slogans praising Hadi’s name, promising to keep the demonstrations going, and pleading for swift justice. As more force was used by authorities to avert further violence, several neighborhoods continued to be tense.
Government is under increasing pressure.
Since August 2024, when Hasina, a long-time leader, fled to India after a mass protests, the interim administration has been in place there under the leadership of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Hasina’s Awami League is prohibited from participating in the February 12 election, and the government is under increasing pressure for delayed reforms.
In a televised address after Hadi’s passing, Yunus stated that the country’s political and democratic spheres were irreplaceable. He urged calm, urged transparency in the investigation, and warned that violence could threaten the vote’s legitimacy.
The interim administration held special prayers throughout the country and a day of state mourning on Saturday.
Hasina’s violent legacy still exists
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s first president and Hasina’s murdered father, was also targeted twice last year by protesters who tore through his home. Awami League offices were bulldozed in Rajshahi, and several districts’ highways were blocked.
Anti-India sentiment has grown since Hasina’s flight to New Delhi, and violence has also spread to Chittagong, where protesters have attacked the Indian Assistant High Commission.
Hasina was sentenced to death in November by hanging and then guilty of crimes against humanity for ordering a bloody siege against a student-led uprising that ended up killing her.
After weeks of student-led protests against her “autocratic rule,” Hasina fled Bangladesh on August 5, 2024 by helicopter.
Sajjat Hosen Sojal, the mother of 20-year-old student Sajjat Hosen, was shot and burned by the police shortly before Hasina was forced to resign and flee the country, according to Shaina Begum, who told Al Jazeera after the verdict: “I cannot be calm until she is brought back and hanged in this country.”
Over the next two years, leaders of the European Union have agreed to give Ukraine a $105 billion interest-free loan without using any of the Russian government’s frozen assets.
After the death of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, violent protests erupted in Bangladesh. The HQ of the biggest daily newspaper was among the buildings that were destroyed by protesters who also demolished and vandalized offices. Elections are scheduled for the first election in the upcoming year.
According to Antonio Costa, president of the EU Council, EU leaders have agreed to give Ukraine an interest-free loan to meet its military and economic needs over the next two years.
The leaders made the decision early on Friday to use frozen Russian assets to pay for Ukraine’s defense of Russia, according to diplomats.
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Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, thanked the EU for its loan, which “truly strengthens” Kyiv’s defense.
Zelenskyy said on X that “this is significant support that truly strengthens our resilience.” He continued, “It is crucial that Russian assets remain immobilized and that Ukraine has a financial security guarantee for the foreseeable future.”
There is a deal, we say. The decision to support Ukraine for 2026-27 with 90 billion euros [105.5%] was approved. In a post on social media early on Friday, Costa said, “We committed, we delivered.”
After EU leaders worked hard into Thursday night’s agreement, Costa did not reveal the source of the funding.
However, an early draft of the summit’s conclusions, which was spotted by the Reuters news agency, stated that they would be made by the bloc’s controversial plan to use frozen Russian assets as a loan to support Ukraine’s war effort, secured by the EU budget.
EU governments and the European Parliament will continue to talk about establishing a loan to Ukraine based on assets held by the Russian central bank.
According to the text, the agreement on Friday won’t have an impact on Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic’s financial obligations, which both declined to contribute to financing Ukraine.
After EU leaders decided to borrow money to pay for Ukraine instead of using Russia’s frozen assets, Kirill Dmitriev, Russia’s special envoy for investment and economic cooperation, said on Friday that “law and sanity prevailed.”
Dmitriev, who mentions European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said on X that “Major BLOW to EU warmongers led by failed Ursula … voices of reason in the EU BLOCKED the ILLEGAL use of Russian reserves to finance Ukraine.
Once Moscow repairs its war damage, Kyiv will only be able to repay the EU loan based on joint borrowing. According to the text, the EU has reserved the right to use the frozen assets to pay off the loan, but the Russians will continue to do so until then.
One unnamed EU diplomat told Reuters, “It’s good in the sense that Ukraine will receive funding for two years.
Leaders had flocked to the decision, which came after hours of discussions about the technical and legal details of a loan based on frozen Russian assets, which diplomats claimed were too complicated or politically difficult to resolve at this point.
A second EU diplomat said, “We have gone from saving Ukraine to saving face, at least among those who have been pressing for the use of the frozen assets.”
The main challenge in using Russian money was to provide sufficient guarantees against financial and legal retaliation from Moscow for Belgium, where 185 billion euros ($217 billion) of the total 210 billion euros ($246 billion) of frozen assets are held.
Should the Kremlin’s plan to use its assets go ahead, it had stated that it would file legal suits against Russia and seize foreign assets.
divided Europe
Analysts had predicted that using frozen Russian assets as the only viable option for EU funding of Ukraine’s war effort prior to Friday’s decision. German state assets, which were not even taken during World War II, would be an unprecedented development, according to the proposal.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz had warned that the chances of reaching an agreement remained “50-50” prior to Thursday’s meeting.
Bart De Wever, the prime minister of Belgium, had previously expressed his concern over the legal and financial risks to the European Parliament because he had previously argued that Belgium might be required to pay compensation to Russia if courts later determined that using the frozen assets was against the law.
Belgium demanded assurances that Russian assets held outside of Belgium would also be used, as well as binding commitments from other EU states to cover all potential liabilities.
Some nations, like Germany and the Netherlands, said they were willing to back up the loan, while others, like Italy and Bulgaria, resisted.
