Jake Paul says the jaw injury he suffered against Anthony Joshua could end his boxing career, according to a Boxing News 24/7 report published Friday. That’s a heavy thing to say out loud when you have a fight booked seven weeks from now.
The damage was serious. Joshua knocked Paul out last December, and MMA Fighting reported that the jaw was broken in multiple places and took multiple surgeries to repair. Paul hasn’t fought since. He was out for close to a year before announcing his return on Monday.
That return is an eight-round boxing match with Cédric Doumbé on Thursday, Dec. 24, at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. Most Valuable Promotions has a free, public press conference set for Tuesday, Nov. 10, at Pavillon Cambon in Paris (6 p.m. CET, 12 p.m. EST), streaming on the MVP and PFL YouTube channels. Tickets go on sale Nov. 15. Doumbé kept his part of the promotion short and cheerful, posting “JAKE PAUL, GET READY FOR YOUR FUNERAL.” on X.
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Paul has also said he’ll “hang up the gloves” if Doumbé beats him, per MMA Fighting’s Morning Report. Combine that with the jaw comments and he has now described two separate ways his career could end, and the fight still hasn’t had a press conference.
The Till problem
Darren Till probably thinks the jaw explains the opponent. Till’s team had been negotiating with Paul for the same Christmas Eve date, and he told Ariel Helwani he’d already spent two weeks in camp and flown his coach in. Till is 4-0 in boxing and 2-0 in BKFC this year. He wasn’t subtle about it: “Jake probably just wants to see how his jaw’s holding up against someone who weighs about 150 pounds on a good day.”
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Till has Doumbé at 170. MMA Fighting’s Morning Report pushed back, estimating Doumbé will probably come in around 200 and calling him only the fourth opponent Paul has faced who wasn’t completely washed. So the size gap is real, and there’s an argument over exactly how big it is. Till goes 215. Doumbé, whatever he weighs, has built his name in MMA and kickboxing. He hasn’t built it in boxing.
Joshua, meanwhile, has moved on. Dana White announced Deontay Wilder vs. Jai Opetaia for the undercard of Tyson Fury vs. Anthony Joshua, per Championship Rounds on X.
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Sal’s take
This is the exact setup I warn people about every year. A fighter coming off a year away, returning from a catastrophic knockout loss, with a rebuilt jaw he is telling you might not hold. Paul will very likely be the bigger man and the favorite, and I understand why the books will price him that way. I don’t have a number yet. When one goes up, a short price on a guy who’s openly worried about his own chin is a bet I’ll pass on. Doumbé only needs one clean shot to that jaw, and Paul has already said what happens to his career if he loses. Nov. 10 in Paris is the first time they’ll stand face to face. Watch how Paul talks about the jaw when someone asks him directly.
