The bout is an eight-round cruiserweight fight at 200 pounds with 10-ounce gloves, and it lands at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. It is sanctioned as a professional boxing match.

Paul said Doumbé started calling him out two years ago, after a nine-second knockout. In MMA, Doumbé’s PFL debut in Paris in 2023 ended in six seconds.

Against someone like Paul, you could argue that Doumbé’s kickboxing skills will put him in a good position to be competitive.

A more experienced boxer might be able to expose the cracks that come from the differences between the two disciplines. Paul may find it more difficult to take advantage of Doumbé’s lack of traditional boxing experience.

It wouldn’t be shocking to hear Doumbé say that over his time in kickboxing, he’s already put in more boxing rounds in training than Paul has. And that statement may actually be true.

That said, at this point, Paul has accumulated enough boxing experience that he’s no longer a complete novice.

He has 14 professional fights under his belt, compared to just one for Doumbé. That’s a meaningful difference, regardless of how many boxing rounds the former Glory champion has completed in training.

Kickboxers move a bit differently than traditional boxers, and that movement style is something that could cause a traditional boxer problems.

Jake Paul’s Professional Boxing Record

So this is an interesting stylistic matchup beyond the crossover novelty appeal. With Paul’s name attached to it, as well as Doumbé, who is a huge star in France, this one could be a sneaky hit later in December.

Ultimately, this is mostly smart branding.

Verhoeven entered the Usyk fight 1-0 as a pro boxer, his lone win a second-round knockout in 2014. Usyk stopped him with one second left in the 11th round in Giza, Egypt, in May, and the finish drew heavy criticism. Paul was among those who questioned the stoppage.

More Usyk vs. Verhoeven Coverage

Paul has proven to have a solid chin. We’ll see if the injured jaw he suffered in the knockout loss to Joshua has changed that.

Doumbé isn’t naturally as big as Paul. He’s longer and leaner, but he does have legitimate power.

So the fight is not without risk, but it’s certainly a calculated risk. And it’s a test Paul seems confident he’ll pass.