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Jake Paul’s last fight, well, very well may be his last.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer fought former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua last December and lasted until the sixth round as a tremendous underdog.
However, in the bout, he suffered a broken jaw that has actually threatened his career.
But Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, said the plan, for now, is for Paul to get in the ring this year.
“He saw his specialists last Wednesday. They gave him a kind of great progress report. The plan is for him to be back sparring two months from now,” Bidarian told Fox News Digital. “That’s when they feel like that’s the point to get back into sparring, not training, but sparring. And I think that’s the telltale moment, right? How does your jaw react to that?
“I think his plan, our intention, is a 2026 return, but that will be predicated by how it all goes once he’s actually back in there getting hit in the face.”
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Paul recently told Ariel Helwani that never boxing again “is definitely in the realm of possibility.”
“I think it just depends on how the bone heals, and then also there’s a tooth missing that I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to get an implant of some sort,” Paul said. “I don’t know how much time that’s going to add to things. But we just have to see and figure out what the smartest thing is for me.”
But Bidarian said Paul has no regrets about getting into the ring with, by far, his toughest opponent.
“And people ask me, do I regret it? Like, I can’t regret it. I’m there to facilitate. I don’t decide, right?” the promoter continued. “I never told him you should fight Anthony Joshua.
“And when he looks at it, of course, he doesn’t regret it. He created another massive moment for the sport. Got in there and tested himself against one of the most dominant heavyweights of the last 10 years and lasted longer than 18 of Anthony Joshua’s opponents and landed shots on Anthony Joshua.”
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Paul is 12-2, including a victory against Mike Tyson in November 2024.
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