Jake Paul eyes 2026 boxing return at cruiserweight or vs Ngannou

Jake Paul is targeting a boxing comeback before the end of 2026, with plans to either return at cruiserweight or face Francis Ngannou at heavyweight, according to Nakisa Bidarian, his business partner at Most Valuable Promotions.

Paul has been out of action since Anthony Joshua stopped him in the sixth round last December, a loss that left him with a broken jaw, two titanium plates, and some missing teeth. The defeat also knocked him out of the WBA's cruiserweight rankings. Bidarian told BBC Sport that Paul has recently returned to the gym and is eyeing a comeback before year-end. "I think his focus is on cruiserweight, outside of a potential boxing match against Francis Ngannou," Bidarian said. "His goal is to return before year-end."

Why Paul wants Ngannou after Joshua loss

Paul has targeted the former UFC heavyweight champion because of Ngannou's own boxing résumé, which includes losses to Tyson Fury in 2023 and Joshua in 2024. The pair exchanged words at a March news conference in Los Angeles, where Paul goaded Ngannou by saying he ran away from him "like a duck." Ngannou responded, "I really didn't want to fight you, but now I want to beat you." Ngannou is scheduled to fight Philipe Lins on the undercard of Ronda Rousey's MMA comeback against Gina Carano on May 16, an MVP-promoted card.

Bidarian also floated a future MMA bout for Paul against the winner of Nate Diaz vs. Mike Perry, who meet on the same Rousey-Carano undercard. Paul has beaten both men in boxing, stopping Diaz in 2023 and Perry in 2024, but both Diaz and Paul have called for an MMA rematch. "I think the winner of that fight is a great MMA match-up for Jake Paul, if he wants to do MMA, which he's always consistently said he does," Bidarian said, adding that Paul would need six to eight months of focused training, particularly in jiu-jitsu.

Paul was recently seen back in the gym with his boxing coach. No specific opponent or date has been set for his 2026 return.

Source: bbc.com