Darren Till has called Jake Paul a 'fraud' after missing out on a fight with the YouTuber-turned-boxer. The former UFC welterweight title challenger was seemingly in talks to fight the American this Christmas before being overlooked.
Paul's Next Opponent Announced
Paul is expected to take on former kickboxing world champion Cedric Doumbe on Christmas Eve at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. The event next month marks Paul's first appearance in the ring since his knockout defeat to Anthony Joshua last Christmas, which left him with a broken jaw and forced him to eat Christmas dinner through a straw.
Paul's clash with Doumbe will be a professionally sanctioned cruiserweight bout over eight three-minute rounds.
Till's Reaction
After learning of the news, Till offered his verdict on the contest. "I thought we were all good to go," Till told Ariel Helwani. "I've been in camp for the past two weeks with me coach. I flew him out, getting ready, seven weeks away, right around the corner. It would've been me third fight this year, and a big fight, as well. And out of nowhere, this f****** daft fight gets announced with Cédric Doumbé. I don't think anyone outside of his own household even knows who he is."
"Jake probably just wants to see how his jaw's holding up against someone who weighs about 150 pounds on a good day. So, it's just a fraudulent show. Everyone's a fraud. Jake's a fraud. Nakisa [Bidarian, Paul's business partner] is a little fraud, wasting my time. Couldn't give a f***. Not arsed. If you want to fight me next year, fight me next year. But yeah. I've just wasted about 5,000 pounds getting me coach out here for camp and stuff like that, but it doesn't matter. It's all good."
Fan Reaction
Boxing fans appear to be siding with Till after expressing their anger towards Paul following the official announcement. One fan commented: "Back to fighting people smaller than you lol." While another replied: "Ducking Darren till I see."
A third posted: "Just another no name that has some fighting accolades so Jake can get SOME credit when he flatlines the guy." Another questioned: "Back to MMA guys, really?" Another enraged fan commented: "Nobody watching this bs." One fan wrote: "So you're boxing another MMA guy that hasn't fought in a few years. Sticking to the original playbook."
Doumbe's Background
Doumbe has only one professional boxing fight to his name - a points win over Mohamed Fodil back in 2015. After triumphing in kickboxing, the 34-year-old made the switch to MMA five years ago - but has not fought since knocking out Jaleel Willis over two years ago.
