For the more traditional boxing fans amongst us who still believe that it is a sport that should take place in a ring, and not on social media with people who care far more about the number of followers that they have, it seems that celebrity and internet personality, Jake Paul, may not now be making a return to the Main Event stage.
Earlier this month Paul’s business partner at Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), Nakisa Bidarian, had taken to the world media to state that the 29 year old was targeting a return to boxing at cruiserweight level before the end of the current calendar year, and further, he would not rule out a heavyweight fight against Francis Ngannou at some point in the longer term future and that would certainly get the world of online sports betting talking once again if he did.
It is safe to assume that this statement may have come with the authorisation of Paul’s healing jaw, but even still, it was a bold one to make even if he knew about it. Paul may well carry a record of 14 fights and 12 wins as a professional boxer, and that is no small feat and the work that he has put in cannot be diminished – but it is a very heavy caveat ridden history and the last fight against Brit Anthony Joshua in December really was a laughable as it was concerning on a reputational and safety front.
It is believed that Paul had targeted former UFC champion and 39 year old Ngannou because of his defeats to Tyson Fury and Joshua in the past, and he commented in March that Ngannou had run away from him ‘like a duck’ which is an interesting way to quack back to what he did in the ring against Joshua.
With teeth removed, titanium plates inserted and the toll on the body that the defeat must have taken, it seemed strange that Bidarian would be so forthright about a guaranteed return to boxing, and Mixed Martial Arts competitions, so soon after that experience and given the fact that it was confirmed that Paul has only very recently even returned to the gym.
On the assumption that it was not just a public relations stunt for alternative reasons, Paul’s own and more direct interview as the Youtuber sat down for a chat on The Ariel Helwani Show, he actually (and maybe sensibly) stated that his boxing career was ‘most definitely’ in doubt owing to the injuries that he had sustained against Joshua. He is still to go through the next round of scans as he continues his rehabilitation period and the medical staff can review how the healing process is going, but without even having a medical green light to return, it is very spurious to talk about doing so.
He says himself that he is still to ‘figure out what the smartest thing’ is for him to do next, and whilst there is more than one reason as to why that should not be competitive fighting of any sort – and people would welcome that – he should certainly not be seriously considering it until he has received the all clear on a health front.
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