Jake Paul has stepped back into the gym for the first time following the devastating jaw injury he sustained against Anthony Joshua last December.
The 29-year-old content creator turned professional boxer made the bold decision to step up to heavyweight for the Miami bout, where he was stopped in six rounds by the former unified champion.
The fight left Paul with a severely fractured jaw, broken in four separate places during the contest.
Despite the serious nature of his injuries, the American has now resumed light training, sharing footage of himself working the heavy bag at his facility in Puerto Rico.
The injuries Paul sustained required him to undergo two separate surgical procedures as part of his recovery.
Currently, the YouTuber-turned-boxer remains unable to engage in sparring sessions, significantly limiting his training options.
Boxing authorities have placed Paul under an indefinite suspension, meaning he cannot compete until a medical professional provides clearance for him to return to the ring.
Jake Paul has stepped back into the gym for the first time following the devastating jaw injury he sustained against Anthony Joshua last December
|GETTY
The restriction on heavy bag work had been in place for months, as the impact vibrations travelling through his face were preventing proper healing of the damaged bone.
Only recently has his jaw recovered sufficiently to allow him to resume striking the bag.
Speaking to ESPN, Paul expressed his longing for the sport during his enforced absence.
LATEST SPORTS NEWS:
Jake Paul filmed himself hitting the pads in the gym
|"I miss boxing. But the time off definitely refills that energy and helped me miss it," he said.
He explained that rediscovering his passion had been beneficial after years of constant competition.
"It's good to miss the sport because I hadn't missed it in a while since I started," Paul added.
Regarding his gradual return to physical activity, he stated: "I actually just started getting back into training because hitting the heavy bag creates the vibration through the face and the jaw wasn't able to heal doing that.
"But now it's at a point where I can actually hit the heavy bag. So I'm just slowly getting back into it and trying to stay in shape a little bit."
Looking ahead, Paul intends to move down to cruiserweight rather than remain at heavyweight, with ambitions of capturing a world championship belt.
Anthony Joshua knocked Jake Paul out in the sixth round back in December
| REUTERSReflecting on his demanding schedule, he noted: "I've been really pushing it the past six years, almost averaging three fights a year."
The enforced break has given him fresh perspective on his career trajectory.
"It's good to have some time to step back away from the sport and feel like I want to come back into it with a new energy," Paul explained.
"I'm eager to get back into the ring but I don't want to rush it."