Jake Paul has announced that he will officially retire from professional boxing if he suffers a defeat against elite mixed martial artist Cedric Doumbe in their upcoming bout scheduled for December 24 in Dubai.
The high-stakes Christmas Eve showdown will mark Paul’s first appearance inside the ring since he was decisively stopped by former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua last December. That brutal encounter left the American influencer-turned-boxer with severe facial injuries, requiring surgeons to fit two titanium plates into his jaw and necessitating the removal of several teeth after the Briton fractured his jaw during the contest. Having spent a full year recovering from the physical toll of that defeat, the 29-year-old is now preparing to make his dramatic return to active competition.
"This is a dangerous fight," Paul said in a candid social media video outlining the magnitude of the upcoming event. "Cedric has been in there with killers his whole career. He’s a two-time world champion and he’s not scared of anybody, including me, ‘The Vanilla Gorilla.’ But this is my sport. No kicks, no takedowns, and no glass on the floor, we checked. If he wins, I will hang up the gloves and call it a day, but if he loses, the man who calls himself ‘The Best’ just got beat up by a YouTuber with a titanium jaw. So Cedric Doumbe, I, Jake Joseph Paul, will knock you out, embarrass you and defeat you on Christmas Eve. This fight is not going the distance and someone is getting put to sleep in the Middle East and it’s not Santa."
The announcement comes just months after Paul openly questioned the future of his athletic pursuits. Back in May, the cruiserweight contender admitted that his boxing career was "most definitely" in doubt as he grappled with the long-term physical recovery and rehabilitation necessitated by the injuries inflicted by Joshua. However, those doubts have now been cast aside in favor of a professionally sanctioned, eight-round cruiserweight clash where both competitors will wear standard 10oz gloves.
Over the course of his unconventional athletic journey, Paul has compiled a professional record of 12 victories out of 14 bouts. Prior to his recent setbacks, his combat sports trajectory had seen him transition successfully from internet celebrity to a legitimate, sanctioned fighter capable of drawing massive international attention. His only two professional defeats have come against formidable elite opposition in the form of Tommy Fury and Anthony Joshua.
The trajectory of Paul’s boxing career has featured significant milestones, including a major breakthrough in July 2025 when he earned a coveted spot in the World Boxing Association’s (WBA) cruiserweight rankings following a high-profile victory over former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. That ranking, however, proved short-lived; he lost his standing in January following his comprehensive defeat at the hands of Joshua. During that championship-tier bout, Paul was knocked down twice by the two-time heavyweight world champion before the referee and his corner brought a halt to the contest in the sixth round.
Now, Paul turns his attention to a vastly different kind of opponent in Cedric Doumbe. The Cameroonian-born Frenchman is widely recognized as a multi-time kickboxing world champion who successfully transitioned into mixed martial arts, establishing a reputation as a devastating striker with elite combat credentials. The 34-year-old fighter is currently signed to the Professional Fighters League (PFL), an MMA promotion that notably completed a major corporate merger with Paul’s own promotional outfit, Most Valuable Promotions, back in July.
Since joining the PFL roster in 2023, Doumbe has showcased his striking prowess by winning two of his three mixed martial arts appearances under the promotion’s banner. Despite his extensive and illustrious combat sports background in kickboxing and MMA, Doumbe’s experience in the squared circle of traditional boxing is remarkably sparse, with only a single professional boxing bout on his resume, which he won back in 2015.
As the December 24 date approaches in Dubai, the matchup brings together two distinct combat sports worlds, loaded with contrasting backgrounds, high promotional stakes, and Paul’s dramatic vow to walk away from the sport entirely should he fail to secure victory on Christmas Eve.
