On Monday afternoon social media/Youtube superstar turned boxer Jake Paul gave an interview, where he updated that his broken jaw suffered at the hands of former heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua last December still hasn't healed properly.
Jake Paul hasn't been seen or heard from very much, recently after the social media/Youtube star suffered a badly broken jaw in his knockout loss last December to former unified heavyweight champ Anthony Joshua. Well, on Monday he gave an at length interview detailing that the jaw isn't fully healed six months later and that has possibly may not ever box again.
Speaking with one of the authorities in combat sports media, Ariel Helwani, Paul talked at length about the situation.
Here's a portion of the conversation, where he discussed the recovery process ongoing for the jaw,
“I’m getting some new scans in a couple of days on the jaw to get an update on the healing process,' Paul said Monday. "We’ll see what my doctors say and if I can even fight again. That is definitely within the realm of possibility.
"It does feel a lot better as the weeks and time go by.
I think it just depends on how the bone heals. There’s also a tooth missing here, and I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to get some sort of implant.
We just have to wait and figure out what the smartest thing is for me.”
Paul's rise through the boxing ranks began in 2020, as a novice fighter fighting celebrities and athletes from other sports. He leveraged his (and along with his brother Logan's) growing popularity through social channels and Youtube to turn his fights and fight cards into massive financial successes.
None bigger that Paul fighting former undisputed champ and boxing hall of famer Mike Tyson, who came out of two decade retirement at then, 58 years old, in a massive setting at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, TX in November 2024. The fight had over 72,000 fans in attendance and aired on Netlix. It was worth massive tens of millions of dollars to both of them and Paul's MVP Promotions.
After fighting and defeating the son of another legend, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., last June in Anaheim, CA, Paul set his sights on another huge event with Joshua.
The two met in another massive financial windfall bout Miami, FL, again, airing on Netflix. And, Joshua did what almost everyone thought he would and disposed of Paul with a series of punches, including the right to the left side of his face to badly fractured the jaw.
He's been out of action and not really giving updates since that time.
Back to Monday.
Helwani asked whether Paul is being urged to just give up fighting in the ring and go on with other ventures like his boxing promotion and other businesses?
He replied,
"Definitely, my doctor, Armand, ... he doesn't want me to fight, again. He's saying he doesn't want me to. And, then, there's the occasional business person who's like- 'you know, you don't need to do this.' "
Paul has admitted to have had two previous surgeries on the jaw in hopes of reconstruction and healing.
Helwani then asked what his fiance', Jutter Leerdam of the Netherlands, who won a Gold and two Silver Olympic medals in speed skating at the recent winter games in Italy, thinks he should do?
"She's kinda like 'in both boats.' She understands being an athlete, having that feeling inside of you of wanting to prove yourself more. And, to compete and the love of that. But, she also knows I don't have to fight and all of these things.
There's so many amazing businesses that I am working on and are crushing it that she has also mentioned the other side of it- you don't actually need to do this, But, she's supportive of every decision I make."
Another option Paul could turn to that is not as risky as taking punches directly to the face is pro wrestling and specifically, the WWE.
His older brother Logan has been an accomplished and even, acrobatic, wrestler with the WWE for the last several years making tremendous money on a long term deal. And, there has long been rumor that Jake Paul would eventually join him to wrestle in tag team matches, etc. for the wrestling powerhouse company.
Still, it's a safe bet that if Paul's jaw heals properly, that he will fight again at some point in what would obviously be position as an all important "comeback bout."
It would be marketed and be lucrative.
However, there's obviously massive money to be made by Jake, his brother and those they are involved with in their businesses too.