Jake Paul eyes cruiserweight return or Francis Ngannou bout

Jake Paul is targeting a boxing return at cruiserweight before 2026 ends, though a heavyweight match-up with business partner Francis Ngannou could sidetrack those plans.

Paul has not competed since Anthony Joshua knocked him out in the sixth round last December, a loss that left the 29-year-old with a broken jaw and required surgery to fit two titanium plates. The defeat also knocked Paul out of the WBA's cruiserweight rankings, but his Most Valuable Promotions co-founder Nakisa Bidarian told the BBC that cruiserweight remains the focus outside of a potential Ngannou clash. "His goal is to return before year-end," Bidarian said.

Ngannou rivalry heats up after March call-out

Paul has repeatedly goaded the Cameroon-born Ngannou, who lost back-to-back boxing bouts to Tyson Fury and Joshua in 2023 and 2024 respectively. At a March press conference in Los Angeles, Paul told Ngannou he ran away from him "like a duck", drawing a response from the former UFC heavyweight champion: "I really didn't want to fight you, but now I want to beat you." Ngannou is scheduled to face Philipe Lins on the undercard of Ronda Rousey's comeback fight against Gina Carano on 16 May, an MVP-promoted event.

Bidarian also floated the winner of Nate Diaz versus Mike Perry as a potential MMA opponent for Paul, though he acknowledged Paul would need six to eight months of dedicated training to prepare for a cage debut. Paul stopped Diaz in a boxing bout in 2023 and beat Perry last year, but both Diaz and Paul have called for an MMA rematch. "I know Jake has talked up Nate a little bit, and Nate's obviously mentioned it, but there's no guarantee that Nate's gonna beat Mike Perry," Bidarian said. Bidarian confirmed Paul has recently returned to the gym with his boxing coach as recovery from jaw surgery wraps up.

Source: bbc.com