Jake Paul wants Canelo Alvarez, Ryan Garcia, and Deontay Wilder, but his knockout loss to Anthony Joshua makes those ambitions harder to sell. Calling out bigger names keeps him in the conversation. Getting them into the ring could require Jake to rebuild with some wins first.
“Before I rest…” Paul wrote on X, listing potential opponents before tagging Nakisa Bidarian with the instruction: “Make it happen.”
His targets also include Francis Ngannou, Conor McGregor, Sean Strickland, Darren Till, KSI, Chris Eubank, Edgar Berlanga and Tom Aspinall. Jake specifies boxing for Aspinall, boxing and MMA for McGregor, and MMA for Nate Diaz. He adds “World Title” without naming a division or belt.
The Joshua defeat hangs over that entire pitch. Jake can still offer opponents publicity and a commercially attractive event, but another major boxing matchup would invite questions about whether viewers are buying a competitive fight or another knockout.
That could make the bigger names harder to secure. They would have to see enough value in facing Jake to accept the criticism that comes with fighting someone Joshua already stopped. A social media callout gives them little reason to commit.
Jake needs some distance from that loss, and victories would do more for him than another ambitious list. A run of wins could help rebuild interest in what he can accomplish inside the ring. The quality of those opponents would also count. Beating fighters who offer little resistance would leave the same questions waiting when he calls for Canelo or Wilder again.
There is also a difference between selling a comeback and selling a world-title challenge. Jake’s post provides plenty of names for crossover events, but no explanation of how he intends to earn a shot at a belt.
His promotional hustle has kept him visible. After the Joshua knockout, visibility alone may be insufficient to persuade the opponents he wants—or the audience—to buy the next big boxing pitch.
Bidarian has a list to work through. Jake needs to give him a stronger selling point by winning again.