Jake Paul recently appeared on The Ariel Helwani Show, where he opened up about the uncertain state of his boxing career following the jaw injury during his match against Anthony Joshua.
During the conversation, Helwani brought up a recent video posted by Paul’s fiancee that showed him back in the ring, prompting questions about a possible return to boxing. Paul explained that he is still in the middle of the recovery process and waiting for medical clearance before making any decisions.
“I’m getting some new scans here in a couple of days of the jaw to get an update on the healing process,” Paul said. “We’ll see what my doctors say. I think I’ll be able to get a more accurate time frame or, you know, can I even compete again? That is definitely in the realm and possibilities of things.”
While he admitted the injury is improving with time, Paul said he still cannot spar until doctors fully clear him.
“It does feel a lot better as weeks go by and time goes by,” he continued, “but I definitely need to get cleared first to be able to spar, but I’m, you know, sort of staying in shape.”
Helwani later pointed out that Paul’s future in combat sports appeared to be uncertain, something the YouTuber-turned-boxer acknowledged himself while detailing the extent of the damage.
“No, most definitely,” Paul said. “I think it just depends on how the bone heals. And then also there’s like a tooth missing here. I’m pretty sure I’m going to have to get an implanted tooth of some sort.”
He added that he still does not know how much additional recovery time the dental procedure could require.
“I don’t know how much time that’s going to add to things,” Paul explained, “but we just have to see and figure out what the smartest thing is for me.”
When asked if retirement had crossed his mind, Paul admitted the thought has come up, though he does not believe his career is over yet.
“Yeah, those thoughts have definitely come up,” he said. “But I’m not done. I can just feel it in my spirit, my soul, my heart that I have more matches left and unfinished business in my mind.”
Paul also compared the injury to setbacks athletes in other sports commonly face, saying injuries are simply part of competition.
“Injuries are a part of any sport,” he continued. “I think potentially this could be a good outcome. You know, like you could tear an ACL and be out and keep on tearing and tearing it again. So it’s just a part of any sport and I definitely don’t feel like I’m done and want to keep on competing.”
Despite his determination to return, Paul revealed that several people close to him have advised against continuing his boxing career.
He also mentioned that others involved in his business ventures have questioned why he would continue competing when he already has successful projects outside the ring.
Paul explained that his fiancee sees both sides of the situation because of her own athletic background.
“She is kind of in both boats,” he said, “because she understands being an athlete and having that feeling inside of you of wanting to prove yourself more and to compete and the love of that, but she also knows that I don’t have to compete and all of these things and there’s so many amazing businesses that I’m working on.”
Even with the injury and uncertainty surrounding his future, Paul made it clear he does not regret taking the Anthony Joshua matchup.
“No, man. Quite the opposite,” Paul said. “I think it was such a win on so many different levels and yeah, it was a really good experience and just overall such a net positive for me, my companies, my fighting experience, my content.”
