Francis Ngannou called out Jake Paul on Thursday, saying he wants the 29-year-old after months of hearing the boxer dismiss him. Speaking to Sky Sports Boxing, Ngannou said he was not excited at first, but added that at some point he needs to handle Paul and that he thinks he can, using even blunter language to make the point.
The timing matters because Paul is still coming back from a brutal December 2025 loss to Anthony Joshua, when a sixth-round knockout left him with a double jaw fracture. He was injured on Dec. 19, 2025, at the Kaseya Centre in Miami, where a right hand from Joshua broke his jaw in two places, forcing surgery that involved two titanium plates and the removal of several teeth.
Paul has since said he is finally feeling healthy again, but he is not expected to return to full training until late 2026 or early 2027. That leaves Ngannou, who has his own boxing baggage from a disputed loss to Tyson Fury and a heavy defeat to Joshua, calling out a fighter who may be far from ready to answer him.
The exchange also carries a business wrinkle. Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions is organising Ngannou’s upcoming MMA bout, which means the men are linked even as they trade shots publicly. Paul previously brushed Ngannou off as a terrible boxer after the Joshua defeat and said he could finish him even faster than Joshua did, a fight-talk line that now has to wait for Paul’s recovery schedule to catch up.
For Ngannou, the callout is a simple one, but the path to making it real is not. Paul is still on the shelf, still recovering, and still looking at a return that is more likely in 2027 than this year.
