Now we know.
If you’re Jake Paul and Anthony Joshua breaks your jaw in two places, it’ll be 293 days (about 9 ½ months) before your business partner, Nakisa Bidarian, announces Paul has been cleared to return to the boxing ring.
The broken jaw, which required two surgeries, does not seem to have impacted Paul’s cognition and rational thinking. Both still appear to be impaired.
Paul, 29, posted on X a list entitled "Before I rest ..." essentially a wish list of opponents that does not include Joshua (wisely) but does include others capable of breaking Paul's jaw.
The potential jaw breakers include former heavyweight world champion Deontay Wilder (even almost six years removed from owning a world title), former UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinal
(even with blurry vision) and former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (who knocked down Tyson Fury and is 19-3 in MMA with 14 KOs.)
Still entertaining the idea of an MMA fight, Paul indicates he wants to face Conor McGregor in MMA or boxing and Nate Diaz in MMA. Paul will need a significant weight advantage to survive in the cage even with smaller men like McGregor or Diaz.
Then there's Ryan Garcia. A bout with Garcia, who now fights at 147 pounds, sounds like Paul vs. Gervonta "Tank" Davis, only without probation, civil charges, an arrest and fight cancellation.
Can Canelo Alvarez be lured into fight?
Canelo Alvarez, also on the list, might be capable of throwing a jaw-breaking punch. But he'll have to be coaxed into the possibility. Alvarez is talking about a final fight, and it’s ludicrous to think he’d cap his eventually Hall of Fame career with the YouTuber-turned-boxer.
UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland says he wants to box Paul, who has Strickland on his list. The promotion of the fight could be as non-PC and nasty as the fight itself.
Others on the wish list: Darren Till, KSI, Chris Eubank, Edgar Berlanga. And, well, whatever.
At the very bottom of Paul’s list: World Title
"Before I rest,'' Paul wrote. There will be no resting for quite some time.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jake Paul cleared to return to ring. At risk of breaking jaw again?
