Darren Till Says Jake Paul Talks Reached Agreed Price Before Cedric Doumbe Fight Was Set
Till says he began training for a Christmas Eve bout with Paul after agreeing a price, then learned Paul would face Cedric Doumbe.
Darren Till says he had already started preparing for a Christmas Eve boxing match with Jake Paul when he learned Paul would instead face Cedric Doumbe. Till’s account points to talks that had advanced beyond a speculative matchup: he says Paul’s team contacted him, the sides agreed on a price, and he brought his coach to Dubai to begin camp. The switch leaves Till describing the process as wasted time and money, while the reasons for choosing Doumbe remain a matter of context rather than a confirmed explanation from Paul.
The former UFC welterweight title challenger became a possible opponent after Paul named 15 potential targets for the remainder of his boxing career. That list brought Till into the conversation, and the two sides then discussed a bout planned for December 24. The prospect appeared to be gaining traction until Monday, when Doumbe was named as Paul’s next opponent.
Till says he had already committed to camp
Speaking on The Ariel Helwani Show on Monday, Till said Nakisa Bidarian had reached out to him and that negotiations had been going well. “I think we agreed on a price,” he said, adding that he had understood the fight was ready to go. His description suggests he treated the discussions as concrete enough to start making preparations, even though the account does not establish that a bout contract had been signed.
Till said he had spent two weeks in camp and paid to fly his coach to Dubai. He was working towards the December 24 date, which he described as seven weeks away. That timeline gives weight to his frustration: the change came after he says he had begun organizing his training around a specific opponent and date, rather than while the matchup was still an initial idea.
In the interview, Till criticized the choice of Doumbe and questioned how widely recognized the French fighter is. He also suggested Paul might prefer an opponent with a smaller build. Those comments reflect Till’s reaction to being passed over; they do not establish why the decision was made. The practical point in his account is sharper: he says he believed he was moving toward a fight, then found himself outside it after investing time and money in preparation.
Darren Till reveals he was already training to fight Jake Paul on December 24 before the Cédric Doumbé fight was announced: “From what I’m gathering, negotiations were going well. I think we agreed on a price… I thought we were all good to go. I’ve been in camp for the past two weeks with my coach. And out of nowhere, this f***ing 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. It’s just a fraudulent show. Jake’s a fraud. Nakisa’s a little fraud, wasting my time.”
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) November 2, 2026
Why Doumbe may have been the easier fit
The matchup changes the physical profile of Paul’s opponent. Doumbe usually competes at 170 pounds, a weight Till has not made since 2019, and stands 5-foot-8. Till is listed at 6-foot-0 and previously challenged for a UFC welterweight title. Those details help explain why Till sees himself as a more imposing opponent, but size alone cannot show what Paul or his team prioritized when settling on Doumbe.
There is also a business connection that could make Doumbe a convenient option. He signed an exclusive multi-year deal with the PFL in 2024, and the source reports that Paul and Bidarian’s promotion, MVP, has since taken over the PFL. That existing relationship may have made discussions easier to arrange. It is context for the choice, not confirmation that it determined the matchup.
Till said he spent about £5,000 getting his coach to Dubai for camp. He dismissed the financial loss as manageable, but made clear that the abrupt change angered him. His criticism extended to both Paul and Bidarian, whom he accused of wasting his time. The remarks turn a missed matchup into a public dispute over how far the negotiations had progressed and what Till was led to expect.
The immediate consequence is straightforward: Paul’s Christmas Eve plans now involve Doumbe, while Till’s preparation has no confirmed opponent attached to it. Till’s account puts a sharper edge on the switch because he says he had accepted a price and begun camp. Whether the two sides will revisit talks is not established in the source. For now, the key question is how the chosen pairing compares with the larger matchup Till says he was preparing to make.
