Jake Paul has been conspicuously absent from boxing competition since last December, a hiatus forced by a brutal encounter with Anthony Joshua that left him with a severely shattered jaw broken in multiple places. The devastating injury and subsequent recovery process sidelined "The Problem Child" for the entirety of the year, keeping him out of the ring while he healed. However, the social media star turned professional boxer has recently signaled his intention to return to the sport. True to form, Paul unveiled a targeted hit list of potential opponents to generate buzz for his anticipated comeback, sparking widespread speculation throughout the combat sports world.
Speaking recently with Jack Figg of The Sun Sport, Paul’s long-time business partner and Most Valuable Promotions co-founder, Nakisa Bidarian, shed light on the current state of these comeback plans. Bidarian revealed that out of the names featured on Paul’s publicized wishlist, Darren Till is a primary target with whom they have been engaged in active negotiations to book a fight. The promotional machinery is officially turning, though a myriad of logistical hurdles remains before a deal can be finalized.
"Darren Till is definitely one of the names that Jake put out there on his list," Bidarian said during the interview. "He’s definitely one of the names that we’ve been speaking to. The date, time, and location depend on how quickly I can get the opponent done, and the distribution of the fight appropriately figured out based on that opponent."
The timeline for Paul’s return remains fluid, heavily dependent on the swift execution of promotional contracts and broadcast agreements. Bidarian emphasized that the window for a 2023 or upcoming late-year appearance is rapidly closing, leaving very little margin for error as negotiations progress behind the scenes.
"So, if it takes us another three, four, five weeks to figure this out, there’s no fighting this year. It’s probably early next year. If we figure it out in the next 24 hours, we’ll hopefully get a fight in this year. But I can’t tell you today if it’s one or the other. But we’re trying our best to get it done," Bidarian explained.
A potential matchup between Paul and Till is far from a newly minted idea; rather, it has been steadily floated as a compelling stylistic and promotional possibility for years. The chatter intensified practically from the day Till officially parted ways with the UFC in 2023, stepping away from mixed martial arts to test the waters in professional boxing. While a booking against Paul has yet to materialize during that timeframe, Till has hardly remained idle. The British striker has stayed exceptionally busy outside of the traditional cage, maintaining an undefeated record in the boxing ring. Notably, his transition included a statement-making knockout victory over former UFC champion Luke Rockhold. Following his early boxing success, Till further diversified his combat portfolio by transitioning to Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC) earlier this year, where he has already secured two impressive victories, proving his toughness and finishing instinct translate across combat codes.
With time rapidly running out on the calendar, the logistical landscape leaves very few viable dates for a high-profile pay-per-view event before the year concludes. Yet, if Paul’s promotional team can successfully cross the finish line and finalize terms with Till, Bidarian has pinpointed an unconventional and surprisingly strategic date for the showdown: December 24, Christmas Eve.
While most sports leagues traditionally avoid major holidays to steer clear of family gatherings and holiday festivities, Bidarian views Christmas Eve through an entirely different commercial lens. In an era dominated by streaming platforms fighting aggressively for consumer attention, a major combat sports event on the evening before Christmas could capture a uniquely captive audience.
"It’s a moment where everyone is at home, everyone is focused on their family and some food, and they’re usually watching some reruns or some second-tier sports product if it’s on. So it’s a great window," Bidarian said, outlining the strategic rationale behind targeting the holiday eve. "Amazon, for the first time, has a Christmas Eve NFL game this year, because it’s a captive audience with not much else going on."
Bidarian expanded on the evolving economics of live event distribution and viewer habits, noting that consumer attention is the ultimate commodity in modern sports entertainment. The primary challenge for any promoter is cutting through the noise of competing programming to capture eyeballs. In his view, a date with less traditional sports clutter can actually work to an event’s distinct advantage, provided the star power is strong enough to draw viewers away from their holiday routines.
"The whole game is, can you capture the attention of the consumer to actually watch your content? So the more competition there is for their attention, the worse off you are. Unless you’re a hardcore fan, or unless you have a massive mega-event like the Super Bowl. So yeah, I like those dates. I’ve never thought of those dates as being negative. I see them as big positives," Bidarian asserted.
Contrasting Christmas Eve with Christmas Day, Bidarian pointed out that the competitive landscape on December 25 is already fiercely crowded, particularly in the United States, where major professional sports leagues hold massive, established traditions. Trying to carve out space on Christmas Day would mean going head-to-head with a relentless lineup of marquee fixtures across other major leagues.
"Christmas Day is busy, in the U.S. anyway. It’s the NBA and NFL going back-to-back-to-back. So I think Christmas Eve is better than Christmas Day, at the moment," Bidarian concluded.
