Jake Paul’s boxing future remains up in the air following complications from the double broken jaw suffered in his last fight against Anthony Joshua.
The brash American superstar jumped up numerous levels to face ‘AJ’ in December of 2025, avoiding punishment for a few rounds before he was systematically broken down.
The final blow from Joshua – a two-time unified heavyweight world champion – put Paul down, ended the contest and sent him to hospital with the serious injury.
Today, Paul took to Instagram to inform fans he has had emergency surgery on his jaw following worrying complications from the first fix.
“Just got out of my emergency jaw surgery, having my breakfast here in the hospital. Basically, I was at the Olympics and the plates and screws that they put in my mouth all started to come loose. One of the little screws, I had to spit it out. They were super worried about getting it infected, so we had to pull them out right away, because essentially it was just this open wound sitting there in my mouth, where there’s food and bacteria.
“So, it turns out kids that if you don’t listen to your doctors when they tell you not to do anything for two months, and you do a bunch of things, the screws and plates will come out of your bone. Don’t be a dumb ass like me.”
The real lesson may be that commissions look much closer at these crossover match-ups and step in to stop them from happening if the skill gap is dangerously wide.
Though Paul’s co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions, Nakisa Bidairian, has said he will return to the ring later this year, those who have suffered similar injuries may be doubtful.
Jaw fractures are among the most serious a boxer can suffer outside of brain trauma. Though modern surgical techniques can allow fighters to return to competition, the recovery process is lengthy and requires strict adherence to medical advice to ensure the bone heals fully around plates and screws. Beyond that, there is also the question of future durability.