American boxer and YouTuber, Jake Paul, has admitted his boxing future is “most definitely” in doubt after suffering serious injuries in his loss to British heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in December.
Paul required surgery involving two titanium plates, while several teeth were also removed after Joshua broke his jaw in two places during their heavyweight clash in Miami.
The former YouTuber-turned-boxer went six rounds with the two-time world heavyweight champion, but the contest was stopped after Paul failed to beat the count following multiple knockdowns.
“I’m getting some new scans in a couple of days, of the jaw, to get an update on the healing process. We’ll see what the doctors say,” he said on The Ariel Helwani Show.
“I think I’ll be able to get a more accurate timeframe, or can I even fight again? That is definitely in the realm of possibility.
“It does feel a lot better as weeks go by, but I definitely need to get cleared to be able to spar. I’m staying in shape and enjoying some mitt work. I’m always in the gym regardless.”
Paul’s defeat to Joshua also saw the 29-year-old drop out of the WBA cruiserweight rankings. Prior to that, his opponents had largely consisted of ageing former boxers or ex-MMA fighters.
Earlier this month, his Most Valuable Promotions partner Nakisa Bidarian said Paul was targeting a return to the cruiserweight division.
Reflecting on his future in the sport, Paul added, “Most definitely. I think it just depends on how the bone heals, and then also there’s a tooth missing – I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to get an implant of some sort.
“I don’t know how much time that’s going to add to things. But we just have to see and figure out what the smartest thing is for me.”
