Jake Paul says ‘I learned my lesson’ fighting Anthony Joshua

Jake Paul has said he “learned” his “lesson” fighting Anthony Joshua, seven months after the heavyweight star broke Paul’s jaw.

In December, Joshua stopped Paul in six rounds, as the pair met in a professional boxing match in Miami.

The result marked the second loss of Paul’s pro career, after he was outpointed by Tyson Fury’s half-brother Tommy in 2023, and the YouTuber-turned-boxer has not fought since.

Much of Paul’s focus has been on allowing his jaw to heal, but the American, 29, has issued a positive update on his return to the ring.

Jake Paul (right) during his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua (JC Ruiz/PA)

“I’m going to get cleared officially to spar in the next couple of weeks,” Paul said on The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday. “I’m getting back to it – keep on fighting, maybe do some MMA [mixed martial arts].

“[The jaw] heals back stronger. I just probably won’t fight Olympic gold-medal heavyweights anymore. I learned my lesson.

“Definitely still fighting, [though]. We’re in talks right now with multiple opponents, and just figuring out when we’re going to come back.

“I want to do MMA. We’ve been trying to make the Nate Diaz MMA fight happen for a long time. I think it’s still on the table, so we’ll see what happens in the next year or two.”

Paul dropped and outpointed ex-UFC star Diaz in the boxing ring in 2023, and the latter fought on an MMA card promoted by Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) in May. In that fight, Diaz lost to fellow UFC alum Mike Perry via corner stoppage.

Paul also discussed a potential fight with boxing great Floyd Mayweather, who fought Paul’s brother Logan in a non-scored exhibition bout in 2021.

“He needs the money,” Paul said of Mayweather. “We’re talking to a lot of people, I can’t comment – boxers, MMA guys.”

Meanwhile, Joshua will box on 25 July, as he fights for the first time since facing Paul.

Joshua facing off with his next opponent, Kristian Prenga (Getty)

The former two-time world heavyweight champion will fight Kristian Prenga in Saudi Arabia, in a warm-up bout for a long-awaited clash with Tyson Fury.

The all-British Joshua vs Fury fight is still without a date, but it could take place at London’s Wembley Stadium in November, per Turki Alalshikh. The Saudi matchmaker said this could come to fruition on one condition: that the main event begins at 2am BST on a Sunday morning.

Joshua vs Prenga will not only be “AJ”’s first fight since he faced Paul; it will be his first outing since surviving a fatal car crash in December. The accident in Nigeria claimed the lives of two of Joshua’s teammates.

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