Jake Paul wants to fight Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez. The 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer believes he can pull off the biggest upset in boxing history against the Mexican superstar.
Paul's latest win came against 58-year-old Mike Tyson in an eight-round exhibition. The fight, which aired on Netflix, broke streaming records but left many fans disappointed. Paul coasted to a unanimous decision in what many described as an underwhelming and sad affair.
After the fight, Paul didn't hold back his ambitions. He said:
"Canelo needs me, so I'm not even going to try and call him out. He knows he wants a payday. So, he knows where the money man is at… He's going to want a payday and I want to show the world all the [stuff] I've been talking about beating Canelo is true and I'll have the biggest upset in the history of boxing. We'll fight to really see who is the face [of boxing] because, after this event, I'm going to be claiming it."
Canelo, 34, still competes at the highest level of the sport. He holds three of the four major super-middleweight titles and has told Paul to "stay in his lane" in the past. But the Mexican champion hasn't completely ruled out the possibility of a fight with Paul in the future.
On The Full Send podcast, Canelo said:
"When I'm done with boxing [at the highest level], why not? Yeah, maybe. I think it's good cause what happens is other people who never watch boxing, they don't know anything about boxing, they want to watch Jake Paul because he brings fans from other world. Maybe [I'll take the Paul fight]."
Four years ago, the idea of Paul vs Canelo would have seemed ridiculous. To many, it still does. Canelo's fans want to see him face top opponents like David Benavidez or Terence Crawford.
For now, Canelo focuses on big money fights against his peers. Paul's claim that Canelo "needs" him seems premature. The young boxer will need to prove himself against tougher opposition before a fight with Canelo becomes a real possibility.
While Paul's fight with Tyson broke records on Netflix, he'll need to do more to convince boxing fans and experts that he deserves a shot at one of the sport's biggest stars.
