Jake Paul has not fought since Anthony Joshua broke his jaw and stopped him in December 2025. Judging by his latest plans, the experience has done very little to lower his ambitions.
Paul is back in training and has now named a huge list of fights he wants before walking away from boxing. Canelo Alvarez is on it. So are Deontay Wilder, Francis Ngannou, Ryan Garcia, KSI and even former UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.
What he does not have yet is a confirmed comeback opponent.
Most Valuable Promotions CEO Nakisa Bidarian previously said the plan was for Paul to return either towards the end of 2026 or in January 2027.
For markets across upcoming fights, visit BetVictor’s boxing odds page.
When Is Jake Paul Fighting Next?
There is currently no official date or opponent for Jake Paul’s next fight.
The rough target is late 2026 or January 2027.
That alone feels significant considering where Paul was earlier this year.
Anthony Joshua knocked him out in the sixth round on 19 December 2025, breaking his jaw in two places. Paul required surgery and was initially given an indefinite medical suspension until cleared by a doctor.
By May, he was openly admitting that the injury could potentially end his career. A few months later, Bidarian was much more confident, saying Paul had recovered and was working towards a return. Now he is back in the gym.
Paul’s current position looks like this:
- Next opponent: TBC
- Return date: Late 2026 or January 2027 targeted
- Record: 12-2, 7 KOs
- Last fight: KO loss to Anthony Joshua
- Likely weight: TBC
- Broadcaster: TBC
There is still a big difference between being back in training and having a signed fight, so we would not put an exact comeback date on it yet.
Who Is on Jake Paul’s Hit List?
Paul published his list on 8 October and asked MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian to make the fights happen.
The names are:
- Canelo Alvarez
- Francis Ngannou
- Conor McGregor, in boxing and MMA
- Sean Strickland
- Darren Till
- Ryan Garcia
- KSI
- Chris Eubank Jr
- Edgar Berlanga
- Tom Aspinall, in boxing
- Deontay Wilder
- Nate Diaz, in MMA
- Gervonta Davis
- A world-title fight
It is a wish list rather than a schedule.
Some are realistic enough to discuss. Others would need contracts, weight differences and promotional situations to line up before they got anywhere near a ring.
Then there are Wilder and Aspinall.
After what happened against Joshua, I am not rushing to put Paul back in with another enormous heavyweight.
Could Canelo Fight Jake Paul?
Canelo being first on the list is no surprise.
The two were close to agreeing a fight in early 2025 before those plans collapsed, and Paul has continued calling him out since.
Canelo has more immediate business. He faces Christian Mbilli for the WBC super-middleweight title on 31 October. The other problem is size.
Paul has spent much of his recent boxing career around cruiserweight and even moved up to heavyweight for Joshua. Canelo has spent most of his recent career at 168lb.
Money can solve plenty of problems in boxing. It cannot make that weight gap disappear.
Our boxing weight classes guide shows just how much separates the divisions involved here.
Francis Ngannou Makes More Sense
Ngannou is one of the more believable names.
Not necessarily because the fight is close, but because the basic concept works.
Both men are physically big enough for a heavyweight or cruiserweight contest, Ngannou has already crossed into professional boxing and there is history between the camps.
Ngannou previously boxed Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua, with Joshua stopping him in the second round in 2024.
Paul’s team has also shown interest in the matchup before. Bidarian specifically identified Ngannou as one of the names they wanted once Paul returned from the broken jaw.
Of all the blockbuster crossover fights on the list, I would not be shocked if this one eventually happened.
What About KSI?
This is probably the fight people have spent the longest waiting for. Paul and KSI have been talking about fighting each other for years.
The rivalry makes sense commercially, both came through YouTube before moving into boxing, and KSI has already fought Paul’s former opponent Tommy Fury.
The sporting side has become harder to line up.
Paul has got much bigger over the years and has now shared the ring with full-sized heavyweights.
KSI has not fought since losing to Fury in 2023.
Still, if both men genuinely want the fight before retiring, there is too much history and money involved to completely dismiss it.
Ryan Garcia Could Be the Best Boxing Match
Ryan Garcia is more interesting from a pure boxing perspective.
He is younger than most of the crossover names Paul has faced, has competed at world level and is still an active professional boxer.
Garcia and Paul were once friendly but have spent plenty of time going backwards and forwards publicly since.
The obvious obstacle is weight. Garcia currently operates around welterweight. Paul weighed 216.6lb for Joshua.
He obviously would not need to remain that heavy for his comeback, but asking Garcia to jump anywhere near cruiserweight would create an enormous physical gap.
A catchweight would need some serious negotiation.
Why Are Wilder and Tom Aspinall on the List?
Because Jake Paul likes making lists that get people talking.
Deontay Wilder is a former WBC heavyweight champion and one of the hardest punchers of his generation.
Tom Aspinall has spent his entire UFC career fighting heavyweights. Paul has specifically said he wants Aspinall in a boxing match, rather than MMA.
I struggle to see the logic of either being his immediate comeback. Paul has just spent ten months recovering from the damage caused by Joshua.
Going from that straight into Wilder would be a very strange way of applying the lessons of the experience.
Aspinall is less proven as a boxer, but he is still a genuine heavyweight combat athlete.
There are much more sensible fights elsewhere on the list.
Could Jake Paul Fight Sean Strickland?
This one has suddenly become more interesting.
Strickland and Paul have traded insults before, but the UFC middleweight champion is currently frustrated with his UFC situation and has openly discussed the money available in boxing.
Paul responded by including him high on his latest list. Contractually, it is complicated. Strickland remains a UFC fighter, so this is not simply a case of both men agreeing a purse.
But stylistically and commercially, I can see why Paul likes it.
Strickland is a recognisable UFC champion who boxes heavily within MMA, while Paul would hold a considerable size advantage.
Why Is Gervonta Davis Back on the List?
Because Paul was already supposed to fight him.
Paul and Gervonta Davis had agreed an exhibition for 14 November 2025 in Miami, despite a remarkable size difference between them.
The event was eventually cancelled. Paul clearly has not forgotten it.
Davis appears near the end of the new wish list, although Paul referred to him indirectly rather than simply using his name.
From a sporting perspective, I still find the matchup bizarre. Davis is an elite lightweight. Paul is several divisions bigger.
The original fight was an exhibition for a reason.
Why Is Tommy Fury Missing?
This might be the most surprising part. Tommy Fury remains one of only two men to beat Jake Paul.
He won their 2023 fight by split decision, and Bidarian said as recently as August that a rematch made the most sense for Paul’s comeback.
Yet Fury is nowhere on the new list. When asked about it, Paul claimed Fury had missed his opportunity following difficulties getting another deal agreed.
I still would not completely rule the rematch out. Too much has been invested in that rivalry already.
But for now, Paul clearly wants everyone to know he is looking elsewhere.
Does Jake Paul Really Want a World Title?
Apparently so. The final target on his list is simply a world title. That has been one of Paul’s stated ambitions for years.
The Joshua fight showed just how enormous the gap becomes when he jumps from carefully selected opposition into genuine elite boxing, but Joshua is also an Olympic champion and former unified heavyweight champion.
Paul does not need to beat someone at that level to challenge for every possible version of a recognised belt.
His more realistic route has always been cruiserweight. Whether he can actually beat a ranked contender there is a different question.
For all the criticism around his boxing career, that would at least settle something.
Win a legitimate route to a recognised world-title fight and people would have to judge him on what happened in the ring rather than who he used to make videos with.
Who Should Jake Paul Fight Next?
I would stay a long way away from Wilder. I would also leave Aspinall alone.
Paul has just discovered what happens when the size, experience and power of an elite heavyweight become real rather than theoretical.
There is no reason to repeat that immediately. Francis Ngannou is the blockbuster option I can actually imagine being made. KSI remains the obvious rivalry.
But if Paul genuinely wants to prove he is still developing as a boxer, someone around cruiserweight who has spent their career boxing would tell us much more.
Whatever he chooses, the next fight matters more than most of his previous ones. Before Joshua, Paul could keep moving forwards.
Now we get to see what he does after somebody moved him backwards. For recent scorecards and major fight results, visit our boxing results 2026 page.
The latest confirmed dates can be found in the boxing schedule 2026. For more previews and boxing news, head to the BetVictor Boxing News hub.
