The punches were landing, and so was the cheering and the trembling floor that night. However, in the battle for the use of social media platforms, there was no doubt that none of the three belonged in the ring.
Paul suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Joshua on December 19 in a heavyweight fight that was live-streamed on Netflix. However, online talk quickly veered from the ongoing action in the ring to the ring’s glossy features: the ring girls.
When the Internet Forgot About the Fight
Social media was thirsting over the ring girls during the entire fight night.
“The best bit of boxing, in my opinion, is the ring girls,” one fan said.
Another suggestion was, “Can we please normalize showing ring girls’ IGs on the screen during fights?”
Praise for the ring girls was unbridled. “Ring girls are so gorgeous, God bless America,” read one message. Another message stated, “The ring girls were beautiful.”
It’s no accident, either, that the ring girls of Friday’s event leveraged the power of the fashion world to create a scene as thrilling as the match.
Raphaela Milagres, The Veteran Ring Girl
Raphaela Milagres is the most experienced of the four models. This Brazilian model has been a ring girl at the Katie Taylor vs. Amanda Serrano fight in July, as well as appearing with Paul and other fighters such as Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Mike Tyson. By Friday night, Milagres was able to move around the ring with the ease of someone familiar with the cameras’ placement.
Who’s Marissa Ayers?
Marissa Ayers, from Georgia, 22 years old, has a gymnastics background and has been with Most Valuable Promotions, owned by Paul, since signing in May. She’s rumored to be dating New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart.
Lexi Williams, The Barbie Chocolate
Lexi Williams, a 31-year-old American supermodel and social media influencer, is already considered one of the fastest-rising models in the country. She also appeared at the last Paul vs. Tyson match. She modeled during Miami Swim Week 2024 and has worked with brands including Fashion Nova.
Journi Carr, The Social Media Influencer Who Dabbles In Everything
Journi Carr, a 25-year-old American model with more than 600,000 followers, creates lifestyle, wellness, and beauty content. She creates lifestyle, wellness, and beauty content.
How Did The Fight End?
Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua’s fight played out almost exactly as expected.
The pace was set by Joshua, who knocked Paul down four times before finishing him in the sixth round. The early action had Paul circling the ring with his back to the ropes, clinching to prevent the action from being intensified by body blows from Joshua.
Paul seemed badly hurt at the end of the fifth round. The knockout blow arrived in the sixth, a crushing straight right that put him on the canvas for the last time.
What Does This Mean for Joshua and Paul?
Joshua dropped to 29-4 with 25 knockouts following the fifth-round knockout defeat by Daniel Dubois at Wembley Stadium in London last September. Paul fell to 12-2, ending a six-win streak.
Anthony Joshua is looking at making a return in the first few months of 2026, hopefully with a victory in line to finally deliver a much-needed clash with British heavyweight legend Tyson Fury. Such a contest would be one of the greatest moments in the history of boxing within the U.K. But in Miami last Friday night, amid the knockouts, the ring girls made the headlines, showing that current boxing isn’t just about throwing punches.
