With Jake Paul officially scheduled to return this Christmas Eve against Cédric Doumbé, both fighters appeared for an opening press conference where Jake made it clear he’s expecting to win in style, and if he should someone manage to lose this fight, he’ll be walking away from his fighting career. Check out some of what he had to say below.
Paul on facing Cédric Doumbé
“We’re ready for this guy. Kickboxing world champion, Glory champion, one of the best in MMA. This guy’s great. He is great. Very bien. But he’s getting knocked
the fuck out on Christmas Eve. Kickboxing will not help him, people. On December 24th, the legs will just be used for transportation. This is boxing. He’s gonna learn a very, very hard lesson. And at the end of the day, he’s still a tune-up fight for me.”
On why he chose to face Doumbé
“I mean, he has all of these fans. He’s a big name. He’s a world champion. He’s one of the best kickboxers, one of the best MMA fighters. He’s young, still on top. He has a big following, and I have said it before, and I’ll say it every single time. I’ll fight anyone, anytime, any place. And this is the fight that lined up and made the most sense. And he’s Muslim. We’re going to Dubai; it’s gonna be a movie. It’s gonna be a movie. It doesn’t get better than this. So I’m very excited. He’s the perfect opponent for me.”
On the trash-talking from his opponent
“Hey, talk your shit. I’m finally glad I get an opponent that talks shit. I’m used to carrying the promotion on my back. Please talk your shit, Cédric. Sell the pay-per-views.”
A message to the Paris fans
“When here in Paris, his hometown, home country. I mean, actions speak louder than words. They’ll see December 24th, just like their city burned down. I’m gonna burn this guy to the ground.”
On the difference between facing Doumbé vs past opponents
“The difference is, he’s never been in there with someone like me in boxing. It’s a completely different sport. That’s what he doesn’t understand. He’s gonna learn. And by the way, I think he’s great. He thinks I’m underestimating him. He’s a KO artist. He’s a two-time world champion. He’s the highest of his pedigree. He’s what, 33 years old. He’s in his prime. He’s still, you know, on top of this whole entire game. And so he thinks I’m underestimating him. It’s not what I’m doing. I’m training as hard as I possibly can. And I know he’s going to bring a tough fight, but it’s just not going to be enough, and that’s it at the end of the day.”
On retirement if he loses:
“100% retiring if I lose to this guy. Sure, like 100%. For sure. For sure, for sure.”
On his ambitions to become world champion
“Yeah, 100% it’s possible. To any kid watching out there, to anyone around the world, anything you set your mind to and put in the work to match it is possible. People really don’t believe that, and that’s why they stay in one place their whole entire lives, and I’m the living definition of anything is possible. This is just the start of my career. I’m just getting comfortable as a boxer, and within the next two to three years, becoming world champion is already possible for sure. I’ve been in the top 10 of cruiserweight rankings already, and the experience and fights that I’ve had in the past 18 months have proven to make me so much better in sparring. People haven’t even seen this version of me that they’re going to see on December 24th.”
On his opponent predicting a KO
“I’m just gonna bring a piece of glass, and… he’s gonna fucking lose. It’s really that simple. Just my outfit’s gonna be some glass, and then it’s gonna be over in one round. Joke’s on him.”
On his opponent’s weaknesses
“Yeah, a lot of wild looping shots, no straight shots, everything he throws is predictable. He telegraphs his shots. He doesn’t set anything up. But he does have power, you know, behind them sometimes. Doesn’t have a good jab, not-so-good defense, and his chin is in the air. The body is open. There’s a lot, there’s a lot.”
On his prediction for the fight
“It will probably happen pretty early, third or fourth round. He has a lot of holes in his defense, and… he’s very exposed, and it’s gonna be easy to pick him apart with the jab very early on, and then find an opening and finish him off.”
