Cedric Doumbe vows to 'finish the job' Joshua started as Jake Paul fight set for Christmas Eve
The former two-time kickboxing world champion meets Paul over eight rounds at 200lbs in Dubai on 24 December.
Jake Paul will fight Cedric Doumbe in Dubai on Christmas Eve, a professionally sanctioned eight-round bout at 200lbs with 10oz gloves.
It is Paul's first fight since Anthony Joshua broke his jaw and knocked him out in the sixth round last December. Paul's record stands at 12-2, with seven knockouts.
Doumbe, 34, said in a statement: "Jake Paul calls himself the Problem Child, but he's never faced a problem like me. Jake loves to talk, and so do I, but after what Joshua did to his jaw, I'm not sure how much talking he has left. I'm going to finish the job Joshua started."
Paul said: "Cedric was calling me out two years ago after knocking some dude out in nine seconds. Well, now you get your chance. I'm rusty, my jaw is janky and I don't have kickboxing world titles like you do. But guess what, this isn't kickboxing mon ami. This is BOXING." He added: "Just like Usyk feasted on Rico Verhoeven, I am going to eat you for dinner in Dubai on Christmas Eve."
Doumbe is a Cameroon-born Frenchman and former two-time welterweight kickboxing world champion, with a record of 75-7-1 and 45 knockouts in that sport. He has since moved to MMA, winning six of his first seven professional bouts by knockout, including a nine-second finish of Jordan Zebo in Paris in September 2023. His only professional boxing bout was a four-round points win over Mohamed Fodil in 2015.
Paul had announced the date and the city without an opponent. Darren Till had been reported as the most likely, and Nakisa Bidarian, Paul's partner at Most Valuable Promotions, has said Till was among the fighters the team had been speaking to. The New York Post has reported that the fight will not be shown on Netflix.
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