Jake Paul is set to step into the ring against Anthony Joshua on Friday, but inside the arena and across social media, attention is drifting. Standing ringside will be Jutta Leerdam, an Olympic athlete whose own career, fame, and following now rival the boxer she plans to marry.
The bout is big. The moment around it might be bigger.
A high-profile fight with a familiar name in the crowd
Paul’s clash with Anthony Joshua is being billed as another leap into legitimacy for the YouTube-born fighter turned boxing attraction. The stakes are serious, the audience global, and the scrutiny intense.
Yet much of the buzz in the days leading up to the fight has drifted beyond gloves and weigh-ins.
Paul, 28, has become used to sharing headlines. His partner, Jutta Leerdam, is not a background figure. She is an elite athlete in her own right, a household name in speed skating circles, and one of the most followed winter sports stars online.
At press events and arrival photos, cameras lingered. Fans noticed. Comment sections filled quickly.
One sentence sums it up.
This fight has two stars, even if only one is throwing punches.
From Miami fashion week to an engagement
Paul and Leerdam’s relationship began quietly in early 2023, shortly after his breakup with model Julia Rose. There was no formal announcement, no staged reveal.
They were spotted together at a Miami fashion show. That was enough.
Soon after, Leerdam posted a small set of photos on Instagram with a simple caption: “That’s it.” Within two hours, the post passed 150,000 likes. Paul replied in Dutch, calling her his “Ice queen.”
He later posted his own photos, joking, “I’m Dutch now.”
The internet, predictably, took over.
Since then, the couple has been visible but measured. They appear at major events together, support each other’s careers publicly, and avoid turning their relationship into a constant spectacle.
Earlier this year, they announced their engagement.
It landed exactly how one would expect. Loud online. Quiet in tone.
Who Jutta Leerdam really is beyond the spotlight
Leerdam is not famous because of who she is dating. That matters.
At 26, she is already one of Europe’s most successful speed skaters. Her breakthrough came early, winning at the World Junior Championships in 2017 and never really slowing down.
Her medal list is long.
She has claimed multiple World Sprint Championship titles and four European Championship wins. The highlight, for many, came at the Beijing 2022, where she won Olympic silver.
Speed skating does not always cross into mainstream conversation outside Olympic years. Leerdam has pushed past that barrier.
Her Instagram following runs into the millions, built through competition clips, training sessions, and glimpses of life on the road. It is polished, yes, but grounded in sport.
She is currently training with one goal in mind.
Gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Two careers, one public stage
The Paul–Leerdam pairing works partly because their worlds overlap more than expected. Both understand pressure. Both perform under scrutiny. Both trade in attention, whether they like it or not.
Paul’s boxing career has been controversial from the start. Critics question opponents, motives, and matchmaking. Supporters point to sold-out venues, huge streaming numbers, and genuine improvement in the ring.
Leerdam’s path is different.
Speed skating offers no shortcuts. Times are times. Medals are earned in thousandths of a second. There is little room for narrative tricks.
That contrast has drawn interest.
She attends Paul’s fights. He attends her races. Each brings a different audience into the other’s orbit.
Sometimes that crossover causes friction among fans. Boxing purists roll their eyes. Speed skating traditionalists worry about distraction.
Leerdam has addressed that indirectly by keeping her training schedule rigid and public focus sharp.
One short line keeps coming up in interviews.
The ice comes first.
Why she drew so much attention at fight week
In the build-up to Friday’s bout, Leerdam’s presence at events sparked its own wave of coverage. Photos circulated quickly. Clips spread even faster.
Some of it was superficial. Some of it was curiosity.
But there was also recognition.
Fans noticed that she carries herself like an athlete, not an accessory. She speaks about competition with clarity. She avoids hype language. She keeps the focus narrow.
That difference stands out in fight week chaos.
In an environment filled with trash talk and theatrics, her calm demeanor felt almost out of place.
It worked.
The social media effect nobody ignores anymore
Paul’s following is massive. Leerdam’s is too.
Together, they form one of the most visible athlete couples in sport right now, even though they compete in entirely different arenas.
Brands notice. Broadcasters notice. Promoters definitely notice.
That does not mean either has reshaped their career plans. It does mean every appearance is amplified.
For Paul, that attention can cut both ways. For Leerdam, it introduces her to audiences who may never have watched a speed skating race.
There is a balance forming.
Neither seems eager to tip it too far.
What comes after Friday night
Friday’s result will matter. Wins always do. Losses linger longer.
But regardless of what happens in the ring, the broader picture remains.
Paul continues to push his boxing experiment forward. Leerdam continues her build toward 2026, a year that could define her career.
Their paths intersect, but they do not merge.
That distinction is part of the appeal.
As fight night approaches, cameras will follow Paul to the ring. They will also scan the crowd. Somewhere near ringside, an Olympic silver medallist will be watching closely.
