Jake Paul wants to fight Canelo Alvarez. The 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer made his intentions clear after his recent fight with Mike Tyson.
Paul scored a unanimous decision victory over the 58-year-old Tyson in an eight-round bout. The event was part of a record-breaking partnership with Netflix.
Following the fight, Paul didn't hold back in expressing his desire to face Canelo. 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, at 34, still competes at the highest level of boxing. He currently holds three of the four major super-middleweight titles and focuses on big money fights against his peers.
The Mexican champion hasn't completely ruled out a future bout with Paul. 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]."
Canelo made it clear he'd only consider the fight after his top-level days are over. Right now, he's looking at potential matchups with fighters like David Benavidez and Terence Crawford.
Paul's team thinks the fight could happen as soon as 2025. Promoter Eddie Hearn also believes it's possible. On the Ariel and Ade Show, Hearn said a Paul-Canelo fight could happen.
Four years ago, the idea of Jake Paul fighting Canelo would have seemed ridiculous. To many, it still does. But Paul keeps pushing for it, claiming he'll cause "the biggest upset in the history of boxing."
Whether this fight ever happens remains to be seen. For now, it's just talk from Paul as he tries to position himself as "the face of boxing."
