Jake Paul pledges retirement if he loses to Doumbe

Jake Paul, the American boxer, has said he will retire from the sport if he loses his eight-round cruiserweight bout against Cedric Doumbe on 24 Dec at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. Paul, 29, has a 12-2 record and is coming off a sixth-round stoppage defeat by Anthony Joshua in December 2025, which broke his jaw and required multiple surgeries. Doumbe, 34, is a two-time GLORY kickboxing world champion with a 75-7-1 record and 45 knockouts, and competes for Paul's PFL MMA organization. Paul says he will knock Doumbe out and that the fight will not go the distance. Doumbe has one professional boxing win to his name.