Jake Paul to Fight Cédric Doumbé in Dubai on Dec. 24 in First Bout Since Jaw Injury

YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul will fight French MMA fighter and former kickboxing champion Cédric Doumbé on Dec. 24 at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, promoter Most Valuable Promotions announced. The bout is billed as a professionally sanctioned, eight-round cruiserweight fight, with a 200-pound maximum. It will be Paul's first fight in about a year, since Anthony Joshua knocked him out in the sixth round in Miami last December and broke his jaw in two places, which required surgery. Paul, 29, has won 12 of 14 pro fights since 2020, including a 2024 win over 58-year-old Mike Tyson, and fell out of the WBA cruiserweight rankings after the loss. Doumbé, 34, was born in Cameroon, is a former Glory kickboxing world champion and has boxed professionally only once, in 2015. He last fought in May 2024, knocking out Jaleel Willis in the first round. No streaming partner has been named.

The New York Post, on the right, gives the most detail on the opponent and the business side. It reports Doumbé's 75-7-1 kickboxing record, his 12-3 mark in Glory, his cardio and athleticism, and his usual welterweight size. It adds that talks with former UFC fighter Darren Till appear to have collapsed, and that the fight will not be on Netflix, with DAZN pay-per-view the likeliest outlet. The Washington Post and The New York Times, on the left, lead with the basics: the date, the Dubai venue, and Doumbé's MMA and kickboxing background. The Washington Post's headline and excerpt stress Paul's return a year after the jaw fracture in the Joshua loss. The Times foregoes the injury in its excerpt and cites the promoter. Both sides agree on the date, the city and the opponent. They differ mainly in emphasis: the Post stresses rumors, streaming and Doumbé's résumé, while the left outlets focus on Paul's recovery and the event details. Al Jazeera's account largely matches the facts above.