Jake Paul eyes 2026 cruiserweight return or Ngannou clash

Jake Paul is planning a boxing comeback before the end of 2026, either at cruiserweight or in a potential heavyweight match against Francis Ngannou.

Paul has not competed since Anthony Joshua knocked him out in six rounds last December, a loss that left him with a broken jaw and dropped him from the WBA cruiserweight rankings. His business partner at Most Valuable Promotions, Nakisa Bidarian, told BBC Sport that the 29-year-old has returned to training and is focused on cruiserweight. "His goal is to return before year-end," Bidarian said, adding that a fight with Ngannou remains a possibility outside the weight class.

Ngannou confrontation sets up potential clash

Paul called out the former UFC heavyweight champion at a Los Angeles press conference in March, telling Ngannou he ran away from him "like a duck," per BBC Sport. Ngannou, who lost boxing bouts to Tyson Fury and Joshua in 2023 and 2024, fired back: "I really didn't want to fight you, but now I want to beat you." The 39-year-old Cameroonian is scheduled to face Philipe Lins on the undercard of Ronda Rousey's MMA return against Gina Carano on May 16.

Bidarian confirmed Paul underwent surgery after the Joshua defeat to fit two titanium plates and remove teeth. He said he saw pictures of Paul back in the gym with his boxing coach recently. Beyond boxing, Bidarian floated the winner of Nate Diaz versus Mike Perry as a potential MMA opponent for Paul, though he noted Paul would need six to eight months of concentrated training in jiu-jitsu and wrestling to prepare for a cage debut.

Paul holds boxing wins over both Diaz and Perry but has repeatedly expressed interest in testing himself in mixed martial arts. Diaz faces Perry on the Rousey-Carano undercard.

Source: bbc.com