Jake Paul Names His Next Target

Following his sixth-round knockout loss to Anthony Joshua, Jake Paul has set his sights on boxing former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.

Paul suffered a double jaw fracture in the Joshua fight, as he underwent surgery, which will keep him out for around four-seven weeks. However, Paul took to social media to call Ngannou “lowkey soft,” claiming he performed better against Joshua than the MMA fighter. Ngannou was knocked out by the Brit in just two rounds in 2024.

Paul Reacts

The tension between Paul and Ngannou began when Paul’s team reportedly reached out to Ngannou as a short-notice replacement once Gervonta Davis withdrew after a civil lawsuit was filed against him from an ex-partner, alleging false imprisonment, battery, and kidnapping. Ngannou rejected the proposal, calling the offer “insulting” and “nonsensical.” While Paul has teased a move back down to cruiserweight (200 lbs) to chase a world title, he remains keen on boxing Ngannou.

“Come on, like, respect me a little bit. If this is not entertainment, I do not know what you are looking for. “It was entertaining, whether you like it or not. There was a curiosity to see Mike Tyson at this age; can he stand? Can he, can he? And they did entertain,” Ngannou stated

“I told everyone I’d do better than Francis, he’s kinda got no chin. Francis is lowkey soft. I think maybe now he’ll take [the fight]. That’s a great idea actually…I’m going to take some time off, then I’ll fight Francis,” Paul said 

Will The Fight Happen?

Paul is currently injured with a broken jaw after Joshua’s right hand caused the damage. Paul has undergone surgery, which is expected to keep him out for 4-7 weeks before he can resume training. Paul’s team have said that his focus will be on cruiserweight when he returns. That may create a problem in fighting Ngannou since the latter is a heavyweight. Ngannou, though, is without a fight having expressed his frustration at the PFL. Francis has also said he is open to a UFC return, although that is unlikely. Paul’s team did not understand why Ngannou had reacted negatively to the offer.

“The whole situation with Francis was very confusing to me. He’s done a couple of interviews, back-and-forth, on terms of how he thought about our conversation. I think Francis is a revolutionary when it comes to fight sports. He stood up against the UFC, showed what kind of man he is. And this process was, again, just a little bit confusing for me given who I know who he is as a human being,” Nakisa Bidarian said