Jake Paul Nears Sparring Return, Says He’s Done Chasing Olympic Heavyweights After Anthony Joshua Fractured His Jaw

by Erik MeersJuly 17, 2026, 3:06 pm >

Seven months after Anthony Joshua‘s right hand ended his night — and briefly his ability to chew solid food — Jake Paul says he’s finally closing in on a return to the ring, though he’s ruling out a rematch-style path back.

Joshua stopped Paul in six rounds in Miami last December, fracturing his jaw and handing the 29-year-old his second loss of his professional career, following a 2023 defeat to Tommy Fury.

Paul hasn’t fought since, spending much of the last seven months in recovery. Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show this week, he said that period is nearly over: “I’m going to get cleared officially to spar in the next couple of weeks,” he said, adding that the injury “heals back stronger” but has reshaped his approach to matchmaking. “I just probably won’t fight Olympic gold-medal heavyweights anymore. I learned my lesson,” Paul said.

That doesn’t mean he’s stepping away. Paul said his team is “in talks right now with multiple opponents” as they map out a return date, and floated a longer-term pivot toward mixed martial arts, including a long-discussed matchup with former UFC fighter Nate Diaz that he said remains “on the table” for “the next year or two.” Diaz, whom Paul beat by decision in boxing back in 2023, fought under Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions banner in May, losing to Mike Perry via corner stoppage. Paul also raised the possibility of a fight with Floyd Mayweather — who boxed Paul’s brother, Logan, in a scoreless 2021 exhibition — saying simply, “He needs the money.”

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Joshua, meanwhile, is already back on the calendar. The former two-time heavyweight champion returns July 25 in Riyadh against Albanian knockout artist Kristian Prenga (20-1, 20 KOs) in a bout billed as The Comeback — both because it’s his first fight since beating Paul and his first since surviving a car crash in Nigeria that killed two of his associates, Sina Ghami and Latif “Latz” Ayodele.

Joshua (29-4, 26 KOs) is heavily favored, but the fight is really a placeholder: it’s the final obstacle before a long-rumored showdown with Tyson Fury, tentatively slated for November and possibly at Wembley Stadium. Saudi matchmaker Turki Alalshikh has indicated that the venue is contingent on organizers accepting a 2 a.m. local start time to suit broadcast windows. Fury, for his part, fights journeyman Mariusz Wach in Thailand the night before Joshua faces Prenga.