Jake Paul says his boxing career is most definitely in doubt after the injuries he suffered in his December loss to Anthony Joshua in Miami. The 29-year-old said he is waiting for new scans in a couple of days to find out how his jaw is healing and whether he can return to the ring at all.
Paul said he had two titanium plates fitted after Joshua broke his jaw in two places and that some of his teeth were removed after the heavyweight fight. He said there is still a tooth missing and he expects he will need an implant of some sort, adding that the next medical update will help him and his doctors decide what comes next.
Paul, who began boxing professionally in 2020, said he needs to be cleared to spar before he can think about boxing activity again. He added that he is staying in shape and doing mitt work, but said the setback could reshape his future in the sport, including whether he can fight again at all. He put it plainly on The Ariel Helwani Show, saying the possibility was “most definitely” there.
That question matters now because Paul had been linked earlier this month to a return to cruiserweight, according to Nakisa Bidarian, before the extent of the damage from the Joshua fight became clearer. Paul dropped out of the WBA’s cruiserweight rankings after the defeat, which ended in the sixth round when he failed to beat the count after repeated knockdowns in the heavyweight bout in Miami.
His career has always drawn scrutiny because many of his previous opponents were either well past their prime or former mixed martial artists. Joshua was a different assignment entirely, and the fight showed it. For Paul, the next answer is not about opponent selection or weight class. It is whether the jaw heals cleanly enough to let him spar again, and if it does not, the path back may simply close.
