Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez nearly fought Jake Paul this year. The match got cancelled when Canelo signed a four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh.
Canelo talked about it on Hot 97. He said they'd started planning the fight with Paul.
"I think everybody wants to see me beat Jake Paul. You know, I thought about it for a minute, we agreed for the promoters to go and see what the numbers are for that fight in May."
But Canelo doesn't see it as a real fight. He calls it an event. And he's not ready for that kind of event right now.
"I don't call that a fight, I call it an event. That event needs to wait. It's not the moment to do that kind of event at this moment in my career. I think at the end of my career, when I'm retired, maybe. We'll see."
Canelo respects Paul's work ethic. He thinks Paul's more disciplined than some fighters. But he's not sure how good Paul is as a boxer.
"He's focused. He's focused on boxing. He's disciplined. We need to credit him for that. Maybe he's more disciplined than other fighters. But, as a fighter, it's very difficult to say. That's why when you say 'a fight with Jake Paul' for me it's difficult to say a fight. It's more an event than a fight."
Right now, Canelo's got other plans. He'll fight William Scull for the IBF Super-Middleweight World Championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It's an undisputed clash that's part of his new deal with Turki Alalshikh.
After that, Canelo might have a mega fight with Terence Crawford in Las Vegas this September.
As for Jake Paul, he hasn't announced his next fight yet. But news about that should come soon.
Canelo's not saying no to fighting Paul forever. He might do it when he retires. For now, though, he's focused on his boxing career.
