Jake Paul said his boxing career is “most definitely” in doubt after Anthony Joshua broke his jaw in two places during their heavyweight fight in Miami in December. Paul, 29, said he was stopped by the damage he sustained in a bout that went six rounds before he failed to beat the count after repeated knockdowns.
Paul said he had two titanium plates fitted and some teeth removed after the fight, and that there is still a missing tooth he expects will need an implant. He said he is due to get new jaw scans in a couple of days to see how the healing is going, adding that he will need medical clearance before he can spar again.
His answer matters because the injury arrives at a point when he was still trying to shape the next phase of a boxing career that began in 2020. Earlier this month, Nakisa Bidarian said Paul was eyeing a return to cruiserweight, but Joshua’s win knocked him out of the WBA's cruiserweight rankings and left his immediate route back to the ring unclear.
Paul’s rise had already been built against limited opposition, with many of his past fights coming against boxers well past their prime or former mixed martial artists. That made the Joshua defeat a different kind of test, and the result was not just a loss but a setback serious enough to raise the question of whether his body can withstand another camp at all.
Paul said the next scan should give a clearer picture of how much longer recovery will take, but he would not commit to a timeline. The bigger issue now is whether the 29-year-old can get the medical green light needed to train, spar and eventually fight again.
