Social media influencer-turned-professional fighter Jake Paul had his jaw broken when he challenged former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua almost a year ago.
The American had two titanium plates fitted and some teeth removed after that bout, but is ready to get into another fight – which Paul himself admits could be his last.
Paul says he will retire from boxing if he loses to MMA star Cedric Doumbe in Dubai on December 24.
“This is a dangerous fight,” Paul said in a social media video. “Cedric has been in there with killers his whole career. He’s a two-time world champion and he’s not scared of anybody, including me ‘The Vanilla Gorilla’.
He said a boxing bout gave him a fighting chance.
“But this is my sport. No kicks, no takedowns, and no glass on the floor, we checked,” he said.
But he was also ready to go away from the ring if the fight didn’t go according to plan.
“If he wins, I will hang up the gloves and call it a day, but if he loses, the man who calls himself ‘The Best’ just got beat up by a YouTuber with a titanium jaw.
“So Cedric Doumbe, I, Jake Joseph Paul, will knock you out, embarrass you and defeat you on Christmas Eve. This fight is not going the distance and someone is getting put to sleep in the Middle East and it’s not Santa.”
The bout will be contested in the cruiserweight division over eight three-minute rounds and will be Paul’s 15th fight since he turned pro in 2020, talkSport said.
The 29-year-old Paul has won 12 of his 14 fights as a professional, with his two defeats coming against Tommy Fury and Joshua. In the latter fight, he was knocked down twice by the two-time world heavy weight champion before the bout was stopped in the sixth round.
Paul last win was on points against former world champion Julio Cezar Chavez Junior in June 2025.
Doumbe, a Cameroonian-born Frenchman, is a multi-time kickboxing world champion-turned MMA fighter.
The 34-year-old is signed to the Professional Fighters League (PFL) – an MMA promotion that Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions merged with in July, the BBC said.
He has won two of his three fights since joining the PFL in 2023, but has only one professional boxing bout to his name, which he won in 2015. But he hasn’t fought since May 2024.
Source: The Indian Express
-Agencies
