Jake Paul’s Promoter Floated Darren Till for a December Return: What Is Actually Signed
Jake Paul’s promoter has put Darren Till’s name in play for Paul’s return to boxing. That is the entire story, and it is worth being precise about how little else is settled.
What Was Actually Reported
Nakisa Bidarian, co-founder of Most Valuable Promotions and Paul’s business partner, told Jack Figg of The Sun that “Darren Till is definitely one of the names that Jake put out there on his list.” Bidarian added that “if we figure it out in the next 24 hours, we’ll hopefully get a fight in this year.”
That is one promoter, in one newspaper interview, naming a fighter his client had already listed publicly. Sherdog picked it up and other outlets followed. There is no second independent source and no confirmation from Till’s side.
Nothing is signed. No date, no venue, no broadcaster, no weight limit, no round count. Bidarian floated December 24 as an ideal slot because of the holiday audience, and said that if a deal takes three to five more weeks it slides into early 2027. The December in some headlines is a preference, not a booking.
Bidarian also told ESPN on Tuesday that “we’re hopeful in the next two weeks we will announce his return and his opponent.” He said on October 22 that MVP was negotiating with four potential opponents. He has never said Till is one of the four.
Till Is a Legitimate Former Title Challenger
The billing checks out. Till fought Tyron Woodley for the UFC welterweight title at UFC 228 in September 2018 and lost by second-round submission. He finished 18-5-1 in MMA and last fought in the UFC in December 2022.
As a professional boxer he is 3-0 with two knockouts, having beaten Anthony Taylor, Darren Stewart and Luke Rockhold, none of them boxers. His most recent fight of any kind was a unanimous-decision win over Yoel Romero in bare-knuckle at BKFC 94 in Manchester on September 26.
There is a complication nobody has explained. Till signed a multi-fight deal with BKFC in April. He has also been publicly chasing a March bout with Carl Froch. How a December date with Paul clears any of that has not been addressed by anyone involved.
Paul Is Coming Off the Worst Night of His Career
Paul, 29, is 12-2 with seven knockouts and has not fought at all in 2026. His last appearance was December 19, 2025, when Anthony Joshua knocked him out in the sixth round in Miami on Netflix. Paul broke his jaw in two places, had surgery, needed a second procedure in February, and was medically cleared in early October.
He lost his WBA cruiserweight ranking in January and currently holds no title and no ranking with any sanctioning body. ESPN reports his return is targeted at cruiserweight. A Tommy Fury rematch and a Francis Ngannou fight have both been ruled out.
What a Till Fight Would Say About the Matchmaking
Paul’s signature wins are over a 58-year-old Mike Tyson, a 47-year-old Anderson Silva, a 39-year-old Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and a retired Tyron Woodley. Till at 33, with three professional boxing wins over non-boxers, fits that shape exactly.
That is not a scandal, just a promoter picking a soft landing for a fighter whose jaw was rebuilt 10 months ago. Anyone surprised by it has not been paying attention.
Till, for his part, has been asking for it. “Send the contract & ill smash your boys head in,” he posted on October 22. Paul’s own post that day: “Let’s see who actually signs the contract.”
Where It Stands
Bidarian says an announcement is two weeks away. Till wants it. Paul says he wants to see a signature. Until one turns up, this is a name on a wish list and a date nobody has booked.
One footnote the promoters have not mentioned: December 24 is Darren Till’s 34th birthday.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
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