Three potential next opponents for Jake Paul

On December 19, at the Kaseya Center in Miami, Jake Paul took the seemingly improbable step up to heavyweight to face Anthony Joshua. “The Problem Child” ultimately fell short, losing by knockout in the sixth round. Attention quickly turned to who could be next for Joshua and who could be next for Paul. Here are three potential options for Jake Paul’s next fight.

Jake Paul’s next fight – three potential options

The options for Jake Paul’s (12-2, 7 KOs) next fight are vast. Could he return to fighting MMA fighters? Or face a former aging boxing star? Straight after the loss to Joshua, Paul made it clear that he wants to take some time out to rest his now-confirmed double-broken jaw. The Ohio native also again revealed his desire to challenge for a cruiserweight world title.

WBC title shot

WBC president, Mauricio Sulaiman praised Paul before the Joshua fight, posting on his X account:

“Regardless of what happens tomorrow in the ring, the world must now respect Jake Paul. A kid who conquered social media and fell in love with boxing and has trained as hard as anyone and has brought millions of new fans to the sport and is providing great activity to boxers who fight in his cards. Boxing wins!”

It’s clear that a title shot with the WBC is not out of the question. The current full champion is Noel Mikaelian, while Michał Cieslak holds the WBC interim cruiserweight title, and Yamil Peralta is the WBC silver champion. The international title with the WBC is currently vacant and could offer Paul a shot at a minor title, with Ilunga Makabu and Viddal Riley as potential options.

Canelo Alvarez

While not for a cruiserweight title, could Paul finally face Canelo? They were heavily linked to face each other before Canelo inked his deal with Riyadh Season.

The fight with Joshua appeared impossible when first mentioned, so is a Canelo fight that unrealistic? Is there a bigger fight out there for the Mexican? These are important questions to think about when looking at potential opponents for the Mexican legend.

The potential sticking point for this fight could be with Turki Alalshikh. Canelo is two fights into a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season, and it remains to be seen how favourable Alalshikh views a Paul fight for Canelo.

They were close to finalising the deal once, but can Jake Paul take on another seemingly improbable challenge?

WBA title shot

Paul is currently ranked 14th in the WBA rankings, so a title shot with them is seemingly the most realistic. The current full world champion is Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez, who is nearing a return after shoulder surgery. Could Paul be a first fight back for Ramirez before a potential unification fight against Jai Opetaia or Noel Mikaelian?

I don’t see Paul wanting to get in the ring with Opetaia, but I can see a fight with Ramirez being attractive to both teams. Ramirez against Safar appears to be off, with “Zurdo” now likely to go straight into a fight against David Benavidez.

There are certain fighters in the WBA rankings I don’t see Paul wanting to face, such as Aloys Junior and Pat Brown. However, fights against Mike Perez, 

Yuniel Dorticos and Robin Safar could help justify Paul obtaining a full title shot.

It remains to be seen what direction Paul goes in next. Who do you want to see “The Problem Child” face next?