After Jake Paul’s clash with Gervonta Davis was scrapped, the YouTuber-turned-boxer called out several superstars in a bid to fight once more this year
Most Valuable Promotions CEO Nakisa Bidarian has explained exactly why Francis Ngannou turned down the chance to fight Jake Paul.
After jumping up to heavyweight for his win over boxing legend Mike Tyson last November, Paul returned to cruiserweight earlier this year against ex-champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The YouTuber-turned-boxer cruised to a points victory, extending his professional record to 12-1.
In a bid to stay active, Paul agreed to a controversial exhibition showdown against lightweight king Gervonta Davis. The pair were due to meet in the ring earlier this month, but the bout was scrapped after ‘Tank’ was accused of battery, false imprisonment and kidnapping by an ex-girlfriend.
Incase something did happen with the Davis fight, Paul reserved a slot in Miami as he targeted at least one more fight in 2025. The 28-year-old called out several stars within the sport of boxing, including Ngannou. However, the ex-UFC heavyweight champion was seemingly not interested in fighting the ‘Problem Child.’
Watch Jake vs Joshua live on Netflix for free
Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul will face off for a heavyweight clash in Miami on December 19. The fight will stream live on Netflix, which fans can get for free with Sky’s £15 Essential TV bundle, the brand’s ‘lowest ever price’ for Sky TV.
Explaining why the bout failed to materialise, Bidarian told Ariel Helwani: “Francis was one of those names where I was making calls to get a list together of potential opponents to discuss with Netflix. Jake has always said he’d love to box Francis Ngannou … he views Francis as a fairly one-dimensional boxer. That was the logic of calling him. Netflix hadn’t said yes, or no.
“Francis’s story is fairly accurate. He wasn’t interested. [He said/thought] Jake wasn’t on his level, and he wouldn’t want to do it. I was very surprised. Francis cannot afford to lose to Jake Paul in boxing because he’s already been knocked out by Anthony Joshua. So, if he wants to have any future opportunities in boxing, it certainly wouldn’t serve him well to go in there against Jake Paul if he feels he can’t destroy Jake Paul.” He added: “In his heart of hearts, he knows Jake has been boxing for five years, he’s not one-dimensional and it will be a difficult fight for him.”
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Ngannou’s last appearance in the boxing ring came in March 2024 against Anthony Joshua. After losing to Tyson Fury on his professional debut a year prior to taking on ‘AJ,’ the Cameroonian was looking to avoid back-to-back defeats. However, the ‘Predator’ was outclassed from start-to-finish, suffering a brutal knockout defeat to Joshua in the second round.
Bidarian’s comments come after Ngannou shared his side of the story after turning down Paul. Despite rejecting the offer, the 39-year-old still hopes to return to the squared-circle in the future. “I’m like, ‘no bro, come on’. I mean, don’t disrespect me like that. If it was about the number, I would have tell you,” Ngannou told TMZ. “I’m just not interested, it makes no sense for me. It’s not what I’m looking at right now. The fight makes no sense. That’s what I think, that’s my position.”
Instead, Paul will now take on two-time heavyweight world champion Joshua on December 19 in Miami, Florida. The contest will be a professional dust-up, staged over eight three-minute rounds, and both fighters will wear 10oz gloves for the monumental showdown.
When is Anthony Joshua vs Jake Paul?
Anthony Joshua and Jake Paul will clash in Miami on December 19, just six days before Christmas. The pair will likely walk to the ring at around 11pm local time which would be 4am in the UK. Fight times are usually set to benefit the American audience and are subject to change depending on how long the undercard takes to complete. The event is set to be shown live on Netflix.
