Jake Paul (29·U.S.) is once again showing reckless bravado. After taunting UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (40), he even vowed to face Anthony Joshua (37), who had left him battered.
The U.K.'s The Sun reported on the 23rd (Korean time), "Paul has left open the possibility of a surprise rematch with Joshua despite recovering from a fractured jaw. He returned to boxing training for the first time since the injury, but is still unable to spar," the report said.
YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul faced Joshua, the 2012 London Olympics super heavyweight gold medalist, last December in a professional heavyweight bout of eight 3-minute rounds at the Kaseya Center in Miami, U.S. The result was not unexpected.
Paul lost by KO at 1 minute 31 seconds of the sixth round. While many judged that he lasted longer than expected, he was dragged around for most of the fight. Paul, who was knocked down twice in the fifth round alone, was finally floored after being hit flush on the jaw by Joshua's right hand and could not get up. After the fight he left saying, "I think my jaw is definitely broken," and was admitted to the hospital.
Naturally, Paul could not match Joshua's overwhelming weight class and experience. He hardly landed any punches on Joshua. The U.K.'s BBC gave a cold assessment, saying, "Paul was clearly outclassed," and "he only showed movements trying to avoid Joshua's punches, and there were no moments that could have turned the outcome."
Paul's injury was also severe. Diagnosis showed that his jawbone was fractured in two places, splitting it into three parts. He went straight into surgery and had two titanium plates inserted. Some teeth were also removed, leaving him unable to eat normally for a while.
Afterward, Paul revealed his post-surgery condition, saying, "The pain is severe but I'm okay. My jaw was shattered in two places. I have to eat only liquids for seven days." Although Paul had taunted Joshua before the fight, saying, "I'll kill you," Joshua proved to be too much of a wall.
Perhaps because of that, Paul made a huge amount of money from it. According to the Manchester Evening News and others, the purse reached 137 million pounds (about 273.9 billion won), which the two fighters split evenly. Considering the fight lasted 989 seconds, that amounted to earnings of 69,000 pounds (about 138 million won) per second.
Maybe that's why Paul is proclaiming he will stand in the ring again and have a rematch with Joshua. According to The Sun, when asked if he would fight Joshua again he replied, "Of course. I'll fight him again 100%," adding, "It was a great experience and I learned a lot. Overall it was a positive experience." He even taunted that he performed better than Ngannou, who beat Joshua, saying, "I want to render Ngannou unconscious."
At the same time, Paul said, "I feel God is guiding my journey. I want to fight him again. I think it was an entertaining fight for the fans," and added, "I'm not active right now. I'll wait until my jaw is fully healed," saying he has no immediate plan to return.
Still, Paul has started full-scale comeback preparations by resuming training. Recently footage showed him at his gym in Puerto Rico hitting the heavy bag and sharpening his punches.
Paul told ESPN, "I miss boxing. The break actually recharged my energy. I started working out again after a long time, and now I can train at a level that doesn't strain my face and jaw," adding, "I'm gradually regaining my feel and trying to maintain my condition."
[Photo] Jake Paul, sports center, ESPN ringside, Chris Mannix social media.
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