Jake Paul is wasting no time looking ahead after suffering a crushing knockout defeat to Anthony Joshua, and his next target is former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou.
Just days after being stopped in the sixth round by Joshua, Paul appeared on the IMPAULSIVE podcast on December 23, where he reignited his long-running feud with Ngannou.
Speaking candidly while recovering from a double fractured jaw that required surgery and titanium plates, the YouTuber-turned-boxer insisted he would perform better against Ngannou than the Cameroonian star has in the boxing ring.
Paul claimed he had always believed he would fare better than Ngannou in a boxing matchup, questioning the former UFC champion’s durability and suggesting the time may now be right for the fight to happen. According to Paul, Ngannou might finally be willing to accept the challenge following recent events.
The callout revives a rivalry that began simmering late last year. In November, Paul’s promotional team reportedly approached Ngannou as a potential replacement opponent after Gervonta Davis pulled out of a planned bout. Ngannou publicly rejected the idea at the time, dismissing the fight as meaningless for his career and expressing frustration at what he saw as a lack of respect.
Ngannou, who had already transitioned into professional boxing, suffered a devastating second-round knockout loss to Anthony Joshua in March 2024. Despite that setback, he maintained that a fight against Paul did not align with his professional goals, a stance that clearly left Paul frustrated.
After Ngannou turned down the offer, Paul pivoted to Joshua instead—a decision that ended disastrously when the British heavyweight delivered a brutal stoppage that left Paul badly injured. Even so, Paul appears undeterred, using the loss as fuel to push for another high-profile matchup.
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