Jake Paul’s Next Fight: Ranking the Contenders to Face the Problem Child
Jake Paul has been a divisive figure in the sport of boxing for the better part of a decade now. Some lament the opportunities afforded to the YouTuber-turned-fighter; others embrace the spotlight he has shone on the squared circle. But absolutely nobody can dispute the fact that he garnered plenty of respect just for getting into the ring with former two-time unified world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua last December.
Jake Paul Finally Garners Respect
Not only was the fearsome AJ a genuinely elite fighter, but he was also a full 27 pounds heavier and five inches taller than the cruiserweight Paul. Add to that the sheer gulf in class and experience, and the narrative was that the Problem Child was walking into a fight that was potentially incredibly dangerous. It took cojones to get in the ring in Miami, but get in the ring he did, and then he performed admirably, better than anyone truly expected that he would.
Online betting sites pulled no punches about just how big the size of the task truly was. The fight night odds from Ozoon online sportsbook listed Paul as a mighty 7/1 outsider and Joshua as a 1/10 favorite. The underdog would land his shots across six rounds of action, but the fight would ultimately end in the fashion that many expected: with Paul backed up against the ropes and Joshua landing vicious shots at will. He got the TKO win, breaking the brash American’s jaw in the process.
But that was six months ago. With Paul’s jaw rewired and recovering, who could be next in line to face the Problem Child? Here are the three leading candidates.
Francis Ngannou
What does a fighter who has just been stopped by one of the sport’s elite heavyweights do next? Fight one of the most fearsome heavyweight mixed-martial artists who has ever lived. Jake Paul doesn’t do things by half.
Francis Ngannou’s CV reads like a combat sports fever dream. He bulldozed his way to the UFC heavyweight championship in 2021 with a devastating finish of Stipe Miocic, left the organization in 2023, and then produced one of the most extraordinary performances in recent memory when he knocked Tyson Fury down in their boxing match — a split decision loss that many observers called a robbery. Anthony Joshua stopped him in two rounds in 2024, and he has since returned to MMA, knocking out Philipe Lins in the first round of a recent blockbuster Netflix MMA card promoted by Paul’s own Most Valuable Promotions.
The promotional alignment here is already tighter than any other fight on this list. Ngannou signed with MVP Promotions in March 2026 — the same month he and Paul verbally agreed to a future fight at a press conference, the same month Paul was telling anyone who’d listen: “I think he is a terrible boxer — I’ll knock him out like Anthony Joshua did.”
Is Ngannou the obvious next fight for Paul, or is it simply the easiest one to make? The contractual ties, mutual public interest, and ready-made Netflix appeal make this the single most logistically aligned option on Paul’s wishlist.
Tommy Fury
One fight has hung over Paul’s career since February 2023. After three scheduling failures, Tommy Fury — younger brother of former world heavyweight champion Tyson — handed the Problem Child his first professional defeat by split decision in Saudi Arabia, a result Paul has consistently and loudly refused to accept. Since then, the Brit has gone on to amass an 11-0 record built largely against soft opposition.
Make no mistake — the feud began in 2021 and has never fully cooled. Paul named Fury on his ESPN wish list in November 2025. Promotional partner Nakisa Bidarian confirmed in May 2026 that Fury is one of two primary targets for Paul’s comeback. The demand for a rematch is real, the narrative is ready-made, and the grudge is genuine.
But the broadcast rights complication is the real obstacle here. Fury fights on DAZN. Paul operates on Netflix. A previous co-promotional deal reportedly collapsed over broadcast rights, and no one has publicly solved that problem since. Fury’s June 13th fight against Eddie Hall in Manchester — a high-profile entertainment crossover rather than a credible ranking fight — raises further questions about how seriously his team is positioning him for a legitimate re-engagement with Paul’s promotional universe.
Can a fight that has been discussed for three years, canceled once, and disputed ever since actually get made in 2026? The will is there. The infrastructure isn’t… yet.
Gervonta “Tank” Davis
No fight on this list collapsed more dramatically, or more publicly. Gervonta Davis — 30-0-1, knockout rate above 90%, world titles at super featherweight, lightweight, and super lightweight, best wins including a knockout of Ryan Garcia in 2023 and Rolando Romero — was confirmed, ticketed, and three weeks away from a Netflix showdown with Paul in November last year when Paul’s team pulled the plug after Davis was hit with a civil lawsuit. What followed was scorched earth: Paul obliterated Davis on social media in deeply personal terms, burning whatever goodwill the promotional partnership had generated.
The subsequent months haven’t been kind to Davis. His March 2025 draw with Lamont Roach Jr. was a fight that most observers felt Roach won clearly, damaging his aura considerably. He was stripped of the WBA lightweight title and declared champion in recess after another run-in with the law back in January. Trainer Calvin Ford insists Davis will return in 2026; insiders suggest a Pitbull Cruz rematch or a Shakur Stevenson unification is far more likely than a return to Paul’s orbit.
Davis stripped of his title, buried in legal problems, and his team clearly focused on rebuilding credibility within legitimate boxing rather than returning to Paul’s promotional world — that’s a long road back to a fight that was already complicated before it collapsed. Still, money talks, and no fight would make more cash for ‘Tank’ than a long-mooted clash with Jake Paul.
