Jake Paul is set to return to boxing on Christmas Eve in Dubai, nearly a year after Anthony Joshua broke his jaw, dropped him three times and stopped him by TKO. The fight is being lined up as a holiday return for Paul, but the opponent has still not been agreed and the broadcast deal remains unfinished.
That is why Paul is back in the conversation now. The date is locked in, the destination is locked in, and the comeback is already being framed as a cruiserweight return after a painful layoff. For a fighter whose biggest recent nights have often been tied to streaming and pay-per-view, the next one depends on two pieces still missing from the picture: who stands across from him and where the fight is shown.
There has been speculation that Darren Till is closely linked to the bout, but that is all it is for now. Most Valuable Promotions has also been in contact with Chris Eubank, Edgar Berlanga and KSI for Paul’s return fight, widening the field without settling it. Berlanga was arrested on Monday for misdemeanor felony aggravated battery and domestic battery, another reminder that the matchmaking has not settled into a clean path.
What appears more certain is the direction of the broadcast plan. Sources told The Post that the fight will not be streamed on Netflix, and the most likely scenario is that Paul fights on DAZN PPV. That would fit a pattern that has already defined much of his recent boxing run, even as the platform question keeps shifting around the event itself.
The unresolved part is the one that matters most. Paul can be sold as a comeback story after a broken jaw and a stoppage loss, but the story is not complete until an opponent is signed and the distribution deal is done. Until then, Christmas Eve in Dubai is a date on the calendar, not yet a finalized fight night.
