Jake Paul to return to the ring after loss to Joshua

American internet personality and professional boxer Jake Paul has announced his return to the ring: on 24 December in Saudi Arabia he will face Cameroon-born French fighter Cedric Doumbe. It will be Paul's first bout since losing to former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in late 2025.

What came before

Paul fought British boxer Joshua at the end of 2025. The fight ended in a one-sided win for Joshua, and Paul suffered a broken jaw. While recovering, the American said publicly that his return to professional boxing was in doubt. He has now confirmed his next fight.

The opponent

Doumbe is a former kickboxing champion who has moved into mixed martial arts (MMA). He represents the Professional Fighters League, which has joined the agency founded by Jake Paul since the summer.

In professional boxing Doumbe has had just one fight, which he won 11 years ago. In MMA he has two wins in three fights.

Paul's record

Paul has won 12 of his 14 professional boxing fights. He has also repeatedly fought opponents for whom boxing is not the main discipline. For a time he reached the WBA (World Boxing Association) cruiserweight world rankings, but he dropped out of them after the loss to Joshua.