Jake Paul has revealed the one fighter that he will never pursue a potential showdown with.
The 28-year-old from Ohio was last in action on December 19 when he suffered a 6th round stoppage defeat to two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, the second loss of his professional career.
Paul was hit with a thunderous straight right hand which left him with a double broken jaw and requiring surgery which is expected to keep him out of the ring for the majority of 2026.
Despite this, ‘The Problem Child’ remains set on making a comeback to the sport as soon as he can as he sets his sights on securing himself an opportunity at fighting for a version of the world cruiserweight championship.
Speaking to ESPN recently, Paul ruled out ever pursuing a clash with two-weight world champion David Benavidez, as he claims his countryman is ‘different’.
“There’s a very short list of people that I wouldn’t step into the ring with, and Benavidez is on that list … That guy is different. His power, his speed, his cardio, his nonstop punching and relentless pressure. Your punches don’t mean s— to him. He has giant forearms that go from the bottom of his hip to the top of his head. You can’t get through his guard.”
Benavidez made his highly-anticipated return to the ring back in November when he stopped Britain’s Anthony Yarde in the 7th round of their showdown at the ANB Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The WBC light-heavyweight champion is now expected to make the move up to cruiserweight, with reports suggesting that he is next in line to challenge unified WBA and WBO world champion Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez.
