Jake Paul has acknowledged that the broken jaw he suffered during his December loss to Anthony Joshua might bring his boxing career to a halt. The social media star turned professional boxer was stopped in the sixth round after a devastating punch from the former world champion, and he revealed that doctors are still monitoring the injury five months later.
“We’ll see what my doctors say,” Paul told Uncrowned on Monday. “I’ll be able to get a more accurate timeframe, or can I even fight again? That is definitely in the realm and possibilities of things [that I can’t]. [The jaw] does feel a lot better as weeks and time goes by, but I definitely need to get cleared first to be able to spar.”
When asked if his boxing future is in doubt, he added: “Most definitely [my boxing career could be over]. It just depends on how the bone heals. Then, also, there’s a tooth missing. I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to get an implanted tooth of some sort. I’m not sure how much time that’s going to add to things, but we just have to see and figure out what the smartest thing is for me.”
The loss to Joshua marked only the second defeat of Paul’s 14-fight professional career. While he proved to be a competent but limited fighter, the Joshua bout was his first against a world-class opponent. His previous fights included aging veterans like a 58-year-old Mike Tyson and crossover stars from other sports, such as former NBA player Nate Robinson.
Despite never establishing himself as a top-tier force in the ring, the 29-year-old has proven to be a savvy businessman, earning tens of millions of dollars from his fights. He expressed no regrets about taking on Joshua, despite the severe injury.
“I think it was such a win on so many different levels, and I had a really good experience,” Paul said. “Just overall, such a net positive for me, my companies, my fighting experience, my content, and yeah, I just really will fight anybody, to be honest. I’ve been saying that, and I think people now believe me, but I’m here for entertainment purposes.”