Jake Paul is reportedly in talks to face boxing superstar Canelo Alvarez just days after speculation over a fight with his own brother.
Despite recent reports that Canelo Alvarez will face Terence Crawford in a clash of boxing’s two biggest superstars, Alvarez has allegedly pivoted towards one of the sport’s most polarizing personalities.
Alvarez and Crawford, as reported by ESPN, are finalizing a deal to square off in a super middleweight championship fight on September 13th in Las Vegas. A formal announcement regarding the fight is imminent.
But according to one of boxing’s top promoters, Alvarez is also in preliminary discussions to face Jake Paul this year in addition to the Crawford fight talks. Earlier this week, Paul announced his potential return to the boxing ring, an announcement that contradicted initial reports about the Alvarez vs. Paul fight rumors.
Jake was also briefly linked to a possible fight with his brother, Logan, for a later date. But after an initial fight poster tease, it turns out the Paul brothers will square off in an upcoming reality television series documenting their lives in and out of combat sports.
Regardless, Matchroom Boxing says the Alvarez vs. Paul fight talks are legit, and are a higher priority than Alvarez’s negotiations with Crawford.
Photo by Cris Esqueda/Golden Boy/Getty Images
In a recent interview with Ring Magazine, promoter Eddie Hearn defended Alvarez for taking the Paul fight instead of a clash with Crawford.
“The move to fight Jake Paul maybe derailed the other fight but I don’t blame Canelo Alvarez because financially, the bigger fight is Jake Paul,” Hearn said of Alvarez vs. Paul. “Because in that fight, you got two big stars. In the [Crawford] fight, you got two great fighters and one big star. And Terence Crawford, who should be a big star — but the reality is, he isn’t. He’s an unbelievable fighter. As I’m hearing, Canelo vs. Jake Paul is done. And I get it. I’ll watch it.” (h/t MMA Mania)
Boxing fans didn’t take long to make their stances known loud and clear about Alvarez vs. Paul.
“Canelo turning down Bud for Jake Paul is a horrible look,” one fan tweeted.
“The fact that this ruined an all time fight like Canelo vs Crawford is extremely disappointing,” another weighed in.
“Shadow realm get prepared for Jake the snake.”
“Jake the new red panty night?”
“How can people respect this in boxing?”
“This is absolutely wild.”
Combat sports journalist Ariel Helwani later clarified that while the Alvarez vs. Paul fight talks began months ago, the fight’s booking is still a big question mark. Helwani says that the notion that Alvarez vs. Paul is a ‘done deal’ is premature at this time, according to a source in the know.
Paul hasn’t fought in the ring since defeating heavyweight boxing legend Mike Tyson in November by unanimous decision. Alvarez will return to the ring against Paul, Crawford, or both this year after defeating Edgar Berlanga in an instant classic in September.
If Paul vs. Alvarez comes to fruition, it’ll be the first matchup of its category since Floyd Mayweather Jr. defeated UFC superstar Conor McGregor in 2017. As of this writing, it’s uncertain if Paul vs. Alvarez would be for the latter’s belts or will take place at a negotiated catchweight.
BoxingCanelo AlvarezEddie HearnJake Paul
