YouTube sensation turned professional boxer Jake Paul endured a brutal night in the ring on Saturday, 20 December 2025, leaving with a double broken jaw after six punishing rounds against two-time heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua.
The Fight and The Fallout
The highly-publicised bout in Miami saw Paul, the 28-year-old former Disney Channel actor, defy expectations by lasting nearly six of the scheduled eight rounds against the Olympic gold medallist. However, the fight was stopped after Paul failed to beat the count following repeated knockdowns by Joshua, who boasts 29 professional wins. The social media influencer later underwent surgery, requiring two titanium plates to be fitted and several teeth removed.
Despite the defeat, Paul is believed to have earned a staggering £70 million from the money-spinning event. Yet, even as he recovered from surgery, a very different sporting figure was making headlines with a bold challenge.
Darts Star Throws Down The Gauntlet
Welsh darts ace Gerwyn Price, a former professional rugby player known for his competitive fire, confidently claimed he would floor Jake Paul with a single punch. In an interview with talkSPORT, the 40-year-old, nicknamed 'The Iceman', dismissed Paul's fighting credentials.
“That’s easy, I look forward to that. He’s a YouTuber, he’s not a fighter, is he?” Price stated. “I think it would just be one punch, and it would be all over. Out cold... He’ll never beat me in Wales. Nobody beats me in Wales.”
Paul, who was in Greece at the time, swiftly responded via private message, urging Price to name a price for a potential clash. “He wrote back to me and said, ‘Come to Greece, man. Just name a price,'” Price revealed. When asked if he had replied, the darts star joked, “I was a bit scared. No, I need to get some training in.”
Parallel Defeats in Different Arenas
In a twist of fate, as Paul recuperated, Gerwyn Price suffered his own stunning defeat just days later. The world number nine was whitewashed 3-0 by outsider Wesley Plaisier in the second round of the PDC World Darts Championship, despite recording a higher average score.
After the match, the sportsman from Cardiff took to Instagram to praise his opponent, writing: “Absolutely gutted... Wesley was great at the right moments but I was way off and it showed.” He had been lined up for a charity boxing event in 2022 but pulled out on medical advice, leaving this potential crossover fight firmly in the realm of speculation for now.
The events of the weekend highlight the unpredictable and often interconnected world of modern sports and entertainment, where threats from the oche can echo as loudly as punches in the ring.
