JAKE PAUL CONFIRMS CRUISERWEIGHT RETURN AFTER ANTHONY JOSHUA KNOCKOUT DEFEAT TODAY
David Adeleye claims Jake Paul can still "sneak" a world title shot. Read the full 2026 return plan and broken jaw injury update.
David Adeleye still thinks Jake Paul will find a way to get a shot at a world title, even after losing to Anthony Joshua.
Paul fought Joshua, which seemed like a really uneven match because he jumped straight into the heavyweight boxing scene.
Joshua, a former two-time world champ, stopped Paul in the sixth round. Many thought it crushed Paul's chances of fighting at the top.
The YouTuber-turned-boxer's rise has been controversial because he chose to fight weaker opponents while claiming he could become a world champion.
Now, after his second loss, he's at a weird point where he has to figure out what to do next while recovering from a broken jaw.
Paul said he'll go back to cruiserweight and still wants to try for the world-level ranks.
Even though he lost badly, Adeleye thinks Paul will do just that, but he's not sure if Paul can actually win a world title.
Adeleye said on talkBOXING, "I think he'll be back in the ring in 2026 to prove something."
No one knows at what level. It depends on what drives him. If he stays realistic, they might find the right opponents for him.
I think he could sneak his way into a world title shot if he beats some guys at the regional level in the US.
If he picks the right fights and gets ranked in the top ten at cruiserweight, it could be a voluntary defence.
If you're a champion and can make a certain amount of money, why not? You'd go for it.
I'm not saying he's going to win a world title fight, but I totally think he could box for one.
Beating the champion, though, is a whole different story.
Who might Jake Paul fight next?
Paul will probably take a long break from boxing to focus on his personal life.
But people think he'll be back in 2026 to try to get some more high-paying fights.
One likely option is a rematch with Tommy Fury, who beat him in 2023.
Fury is seen as a more traditional boxer, but he hasn't been very active lately either.
A rematch with Paul has always been possible, but they haven't agreed on the terms yet.
Besides that, Paul might look to fight other boxers in the cruiserweight division who are in the world rankings.
If he wants a shot at a champion, he'll need to get ranked himself.
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
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Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
