Jake Paul has declared he will retire from boxing if he loses to MMA star Cedric Doumbe on December 24 in Dubai. The bout will mark Paul's first fight since being stopped by former heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua last December, a defeat that left Paul with a broken jaw requiring two titanium plates and the removal of several teeth.
In a social media video, Paul described the fight as dangerous, acknowledging Doumbe's pedigree as a two-time kickboxing world champion. "This is my sport. No kicks, no takedowns, and no glass on the floor, we checked," Paul said. "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."
The professionally sanctioned eight-round cruiserweight contest will use 10oz gloves. Paul, 29, holds a professional record of 12 wins and 2 losses, with defeats coming against Tommy Fury and Joshua. He briefly entered the WBA cruiserweight rankings in July 2025 after beating former world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., but lost that ranking following the Joshua loss.
Doumbe, 34, is a Cameroonian-born Frenchman who transitioned from kickboxing to MMA. He is signed to the Professional Fighters League (PFL), which merged with Paul's Most Valuable Promotions in July. Doumbe has won two of his three PFL fights since 2023 and has one professional boxing victory from 2015.
