Jake Paul’s next fight was not among the boxing events Showtime unveiled Tuesday as part of the network’s announcement of its spring and early-summer schedule.

Stephen Espinoza expects Paul to return to Showtime’s pay-per-view platform later this summer, though. Showtime’s president of sports and event programming primarily discussed the nine Premier Boxing Champions events the network has scheduled from March 26 through July 9, but he seemed optimistic about Paul’s return to the ring once the cruiserweight completes an extended break from boxing.

“Jake had a really, really busy 2021,” Espinoza said. “Three big events, two of ‘em with us, and has taken a little bit of time to sort of recuperate and tend to his many other businesses. But we are in discussions with him on continuing. You know, he’s looking for obviously a noisemaking, big fight. And I would expect to see him back, you know, this summer at some point, hopefully with us, and hopefully in a really intriguing matchup as well.”

Paul, 25, knocked out former UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in the sixth round of his most recent fight, which took place December 18 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. Their eight-round rematch was competitive, much like their first fight, before Paul caught Woodley with a right hand that knocked Woodley unconscious and created one of boxing’s most viral moments of 2021.

The former Disney actor and social media influencer was supposed to face Tommy Fury, the younger half brother of Tyson Fury, on December 18. England’s Fury (7-0, 4 KOs) withdrew from their fight early in December, reportedly due to a bacterial infection in his chest, which prompted Paul to claim that he won’t agree to fight Fury again.

Paul (5-0, 4 KOs) beat Woodley (0-2 in boxing) by split decision in their first fight. That eight-rounder occurred August 29 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, near the polarizing Paul’s hometown of Westlake, Ohio.

Paul’s first victory over Woodley marked his debut on Showtime Pay-Per-View. He agreed to a multi-fight agreement with Showtime last May, a few weeks after he knocked out another UFC veteran, Ben Askren, in the first round of a Triller Fight Club Pay-Per-View main event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.