Boxing-Paul says he will retire from boxing if he loses to Doumbe

Jake Paul said he would retire ​from boxing if he loses to ​former kickboxing world champion ‌and mixed ​martial arts fighter Cedric Doumbe when they meet in Dubai on December 24. The eight-round cruiserweight bout will ‌be the American's first fight since a sixth-round stoppage defeat by former heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in Miami last December, a setback that left the 29-year-old with ‌a broken jaw and required multiple surgeries.

"This is a dangerous fight," Paul ‌said in a social media video on Tuesday. "Cedric has been in there with killers his whole career. He's a two-time world champion and he's not scared of anybody... If he ⁠wins, I ​will hang up ⁠the gloves and call it a day, but if he loses, the man who calls himself 'The ⁠Best' just got beat up by a YouTuber with a titanium jaw."

Doumbe, a two-time ​kickboxing world champion with a 75-7-1 record and 45 knockouts, has spent ⁠most of his combat sports career outside the boxing ring. Since switching to mixed martial arts, ⁠the ​34-year-old has won six of his seven professional bouts, including a nine-second stoppage of Jordan Zebo in September 2023.

Paul, who made his name as ⁠a social media personality before entering professional boxing, has a 12-2 record, with losses ⁠to Britain's ⁠Tommy Fury and Joshua. Paul and Doumbe will face the media at promotional events in Paris on November 10 and Dubai ‌two days ‌later.