Nakisa Bidarian confirms Darren Till talks as Jake Paul eyes Christmas Eve return

Jake Paul’s business partner Nakisa Bidarian has confirmed that former UFC middleweight Darren Till is among the names in active negotiations for Paul’s long-awaited boxing comeback, with Christmas Eve identified as a preferred date if a deal can be finalised quickly enough.

Paul has been sidelined since last December, when Anthony Joshua stopped him brutally and shattered his jaw in multiple places. The influencer-turned-boxer has since teased a return, releasing a list of potential opponents, and Bidarian told The Sun Sport that Till is firmly on that shortlist.

“Darren Till is definitely one of the names that Jake put out there on his list,” Bidarian said. “He’s definitely one of the names that we’ve been speaking to. The date, time, and location depend on how quickly I can get the opponent done, and the distribution of the fight appropriately figured out based on that opponent.”

Bidarian was candid about the tight timeline, warning that a 2024 fight is far from guaranteed. “If it takes us another three, four, five weeks to figure this out, there’s no fighting this year. It’s probably early next year. If we figure it out in the next 24 hours, we’ll hopefully get a fight in this year.”

Till has been linked to Paul almost since the day he departed the UFC in 2023 to pursue a boxing career. The Liverpudlian has gone undefeated in the ring during that time, including a knockout win over former UFC champion Luke Rockhold, before transitioning to BKFC this year where he has added two further victories.

Should the fight come together in time, Bidarian made a pointed case for Christmas Eve as the ideal slot, arguing that the holiday window offers a captive audience with minimal competition for viewers’ attention.

“It’s a moment where everyone is at home, everyone is focused on their family and some food, and they’re usually watching some reruns or some second-tier sports product if it’s on. So it’s a great window,” Bidarian said, adding that Christmas Day in the United States is already crowded with NBA and NFL action, making the eve of the holiday the more attractive option.

Whether the two sides can close a deal fast enough to make a December date viable remains the central question, with Bidarian acknowledging that the window is narrow and early 2025 is a realistic alternative.