Jake Paul left the ring battered, bloodied and broken — but not quiet.
Less than 24 hours after suffering the first knockout loss of his professional boxing career, Paul posted an X-ray image revealing a double fracture to his jaw. He immediately set his sights on the sport’s biggest remaining superstar: Canelo Álvarez.
“Double broken jaw,” Paul wrote on Instagram alongside the X-ray. “Give me Canelo in 10 days.”
The audacious callout came after Paul was stopped in the sixth round Friday night by former two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua in Miami, a fight that underscored the physical mismatch between the YouTuber-turned-boxer and an active heavyweight contender. Paul was knocked down three times before the referee waved it off.
Yet even in defeat — and with a serious injury that will require weeks of recovery — Paul appeared undeterred.
Paul Suffers Double Broken Jaw but Keeps Eyes on Mega Fight
Paul confirmed after the fight that he believed his jaw was broken, a diagnosis later confirmed by his promotional team. Most Valuable Promotions CEO Nakisa Bidarian said Paul drove himself to the hospital following the bout.
“A broken jaw is very common in sports, particularly in boxing or MMA,” Bidarian said. “The recovery time is four to six weeks.”
Paul (12-2, 7 KOs) had never been knocked out before Friday night. His only previous loss came via split decision to Tommy Fury in February 2023.
Despite the violent ending, Paul reiterated that he plans to continue his boxing career — but at cruiserweight — and remains committed to chasing a world title.
“We will heal the broken jaw, come back and fight people my weight,” Paul said post-fight. “I’m going for the cruiserweight world title.”
Why a Paul-Canelo Fight Still Makes Financial Sense
While the notion of Paul facing Álvarez would typically be dismissed on competitive grounds, boxing insiders continue to emphasize the fight’s undeniable commercial appeal.
DAZN boxing correspondent Andrew Steel described a Paul-Álvarez callout as “par for the course” given Paul’s business-first approach to the sport.
“A Canelo Álvarez call-out is par for the course with the star’s big-talk approach to the boxing ring — and you wouldn’t bet against the Mexican biting too,” Steel wrote after Paul’s knockout loss. “Like Joshua, however, the prospect of some highly lucrative rounds with Paul cannot be undersold to any fighter — and the American still seems resolutely game.”
Steel added that recent developments in the super-middleweight division could make an unconventional matchup more plausible than before.
Crawford Retirement Leaves Division in Flux
Álvarez’s future has become less clear following the sudden retirement of Terence Crawford, who had been angling toward a blockbuster showdown with the Mexican star.
According to the El Paso Times, Álvarez’s trainer Eddy Reynoso said earlier this week that the 35-year-old would forego fighting on Cinco de Mayo and was targeting a Crawford rematch around Mexico’s Independence Day on Sept. 16 — plans now rendered moot by Crawford’s exit.
With the division suddenly lacking a clear marquee opponent, Paul’s ability to generate massive pay-per-view revenue could prove tempting.
Paul’s Earning Power Remains Unmatched
Despite the knockout loss, Paul reportedly walked away with one of the largest paydays in modern boxing history.
USA Today’s Marcus D. Smith reported that, according to Celebrity Net Worth, Daily Mail and former UFC champion Michael Bisping, the fight purse was valued at approximately $184 million, with Paul and Joshua each earning $92 million.
Paul, however, disputed that figure.
“Stop asking me,” he wrote on X in November. “$267 million.”
Even accounting for promotional exaggeration, the numbers reinforce why Paul remains one of the sport’s most lucrative attractions — win or lose.
Canelo Callout Keeps Paul in Boxing’s Center Stage
The physical disparity against Joshua was evident. Joshua entered the ring nearly 27 pounds heavier, five inches taller and with a six-inch reach advantage. Compubox numbers reflected the imbalance, with Joshua landing three times as many total punches and nearly four times as many power shots.
Yet Paul’s ability to absorb punishment, survive multiple knockdowns and immediately pivot to the next headline-grabbing opportunity reinforced his unique role in the sport.
With a broken jaw to heal and critics growing louder, Paul could have chosen to be humble. Instead, he chose spectacle.
And in modern boxing, spectacle still sells.
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