Jake Paul Says He Will Retire If He Loses to Cedric Doumbe
Jake Paul says he will retire from boxing if he loses his next fight, against Cedric Doumbe on 24 December in Dubai.
The bout is set for Thursday, December 24, at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, according to Most Valuable Promotions, the promoter behind the card. It will be an eight-round cruiserweight fight, a division with a upper limit of 200 pounds, and it is professionally sanctioned, meaning it counts as an official bout under recognised boxing rules. Both fighters will wear 10-ounce gloves.
It is Paul's first fight since Anthony Joshua stopped him in the sixth round. Joshua knocked Paul down twice before the referee ended the contest. BBC Sport reports that Paul had two titanium plates fitted and some teeth removed after Joshua broke his jaw in that fight. Paul said in May that his boxing career was in doubt because of those injuries.
Paul, a former YouTube star who has become one of the best-known names in boxing, has a professional record of 12 wins and 2 defeats, with 7 knockouts. Most Valuable Promotions lists that record. His two losses came against Tommy Fury and Joshua. Paul has now put his career on the line in a fight that will be his first since the stoppage.
Doumbe is 34 and was born in Cameroon. He is a French fighter who built his reputation in kickboxing, where he won multiple world titles. Yahoo Sports describes him as a former two-time Glory kickboxing champion. Glory is one of the major kickboxing promotions, where fighters use punches and kicks. Doumbe has moved into mixed martial arts, where fighters also grapple, and he has had only one professional boxing bout. He won that fight in 2015.
For casual fans, the headline is the retirement pledge. Paul is putting his future in boxing on the outcome of one night in Dubai. Doumbe has far less boxing experience than Paul, and that contrast will shape how the fight is judged, whatever the result.
Tickets go on presale from Saturday, November 14, at 12pm, according to Most Valuable Promotions. Fans can expect more detail on the undercard, the other fights on the same night, as the date approaches.
