The bout marks Paul's first fight since Anthony Joshua broke his jaw last December.
Jake Paul has his next opponent, and it's not another faded MMA star or washed boxer this time. Most Valuable Promotions announced Paul (12-2, 7 KOs) will face French combat sports icon Cédric Doumbé (75-7-1, 45 KOs kickboxing; 6-1, 6 KOs MMA; 1-0 boxing) on Thursday, December 24, at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
The fight will be a professionally sanctioned eight-round cruiserweight bout at 200 pounds, with 10-ounce gloves. It marks Paul's first appearance in the ring since Anthony Joshua broke his jaw in their fight last December.
Doumbé is a multi-time kickboxing world champion who has reportedly been calling Paul out for roughly two years, dating back to a fight in which he knocked an opponent out in 9 seconds. Paul did not pass up the chance to needle him back, referencing Doumbé's kickboxing pedigree while pointing out that boxing is a different game entirely. He invoked Oleksandr Usyk's dominant win over Rico Verhoeven as a preview of what he expects to do to Doumbé.
The matchup gives Paul a chance to rebuild momentum after the Joshua loss, while Doumbé gets his long-awaited shot at boxing's biggest crossover attraction.