Jake Paul appears to be taking a break from boxing for the foreseeable future.
In a recent match on December 19, Paul faced Anthony Joshua, enduring six rounds with the heavyweight champion before a knockout in the final round.
The knockout resulted in Paul suffering a fractured jaw, which necessitated surgery.
After the match, Paul stated, “Anthony’s a great fighter, I got my ass beat, but that’s what this sport’s about. I think my jaw is broken by the way.”
He continued, “Yeah, it’s definitely broke,” adding, “But man, that was good. A nice little a** whipping from one of the best to ever do it. I love this so I’m going to come back and get a world championship belt at some point.”
Following the injury, titanium plates were inserted, and some teeth were removed.
On December 21, Paul updated fans on his health, noting he was restricted to liquids for a week, making a traditional Christmas dinner unlikely for the 28-year-old.
Recently, Paul provided another update, mentioning difficulty sleeping.
He told DAZN (via The Sun), “I got four plates in my jaw but that’s part of the sport. The healing process has been a little bit tough.”
Paul elaborated, “I’m a little bit tired, it’s hard to sleep, I go onto the pillow and then my jaw twerks up to the left and I wake up so. It’s all part of the sport and it was an amazing night and I learned a lot, gained a lot of experience and we’re moving onto more fights this year.”
Despite expressing a desire to return to boxing this year, Paul faces an indefinite ban due to the injuries sustained against Joshua, who has recently been involved in a tragic car accident claiming the lives of two friends.
MMA Sports reports that Paul has received a medical suspension and requires physician clearance before returning to the ring.
The Florida Athletic Commission confirmed the suspension on Sunday (January 4).
On his brother Logan Paul’s podcast, Jake shared the moment he believed things took a turn for the worse during the fight.
“It was just mental. It was just like him imposing his will on me, and being massive, and the big shots landing. Then yeah, it pretty much all goes downhill from there,” he explained.
Paul also acknowledged his “biggest mistake” as neglecting altitude training before the match.