Jake Paul team in talks with Darren Till as Nakisa Bidarian eyes Christmas Eve fight
Bidarian said the date, venue and broadcaster depend on how quickly an opponent is agreed. Three to five more weeks of talks would mean no fight this year, probably putting Paul's return into early next year.
Nakisa Bidarian, Jake Paul's business partner, has named Darren Till among the fighters Paul's team has been speaking to about his return to boxing. He sees Christmas Eve as the ideal date if Paul's next fight can be agreed quickly.
Bidarian, who runs Most Valuable Promotions with Paul, told Jack Figg of The Sun: “Darren Till is definitely one of the names that Jake put out there on his list. He’s definitely one of the names that we’ve been speaking to.”
He said the date, time and location depend on how quickly an opponent is agreed and the broadcast deal is settled. “So, if it takes us another three, four, five weeks to figure this out, there’s no fighting this year. It’s probably early next year. If we figure it out in the next 24 hours, we’ll hopefully get a fight in this year. But I can’t tell you today if it’s one or the other.”
Bidarian named 24 December as his preferred date, saying “everyone is at home” and there is little else on to compete for viewers. He said: “Christmas Day is busy, in the U.S. anyway. It’s the NBA and NFL going back-to-back-to-back. So I think Christmas Eve is better than Christmas Day, at the moment.”
Paul has not boxed since last December, when Anthony Joshua stopped him and broke his jaw. Last week Bidarian said MVP was negotiating with four potential opponents for a return in late 2026 or early 2027, without naming them. Till had already said he was waiting for the contract after Paul put him on his list of opponents.
Till, a former UFC title challenger, left the UFC in 2023 and is unbeaten in boxing, including a knockout of Luke Rockhold. He has won twice in bare-knuckle with BKFC this year, most recently against Yoel Romero at BKFC 94 on 26 September.
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