With a lavish presser, Jake Paul and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. kicked off their upcoming fight. The duo squares off at Anaheim’s Honda Center on June 28. One of the most pointed remarks Paul made about 39-year-old Chavez Jr. was that he would do to him ‘what Canelo couldn’t.’ For the Ohioan, the Mexican superstar has become a benchmark, one that, if reached, could catapult him to greater boxing legitimacy. There’s a possible reason.

Jake Paul has an axe to grind with Canelo Alvarez, who ‘ducked’ him when a fight seemed most imminent. After an overnight introspection, Canelo closed the doors on ‘The Problem Child’ and potentially a hefty payout to ink a four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season. Subsequent weeks saw Paul calling out Anthony Joshua as well. Only later did it finally emerge that he was actually in talks for a face-off with Gervonta Davis. But the latter’s rematch with Lamont Roach Jr. presumably altered the plans. So with the Chavez fight in hand, speculations are once again rife about who Paul would fight next. Would he go back to Canelo, who fights Terence Crawford in September? Given what he told ‘The Schmo,’ it doesn’t seem likely.

Tank leads the charge!

After the Chavez press conference, Dave Schmulenson, aka ‘The Schmo,’ asked Jake Paul, “If you had your pick of the litter on a scale of 1, 2, and 3, who would you rank as who you’d want the most between a Canelo, between a Tank Davis, and between an Anthony Joshua?” The Ohioan replied unhesitatingly, “I would say first is Gervonta.” But he was prompt enough to add, “Second is Anthony Joshua, third Canelo.” Regarding the Davis matchup, Jake Paul updated a few details while speaking to a group of reporters at the Anaheim press conference.

Jake Paul explained, “Yeah, no, we’re working on it behind the scenes to make that happen. That’s a fight where the fans are going to win, and it’s going to be the biggest event of the year.” However, he also shared that it would most likely be an exhibition fight.

Now that’s an interesting take. Following last year’s Mike Tyson fight, Jake Paul cemented his position as one of boxing’s biggest draws. So early in January, Eddie Hearn updated that the Jake Paul-Canelo fight could potentially make anywhere between $60 and $80 million.

To put aside a legacy maker and a big payday for a possible exhibition against a lightweight champion sounds quite intriguing.

Hopes for a Canelo fight?

Perhaps a fight with Gervonta Davis sounds more practical than a matchup against Canelo Alvarez. The Mexican icon’s commitment to the Riyadh Season deal extends to 2026. So chances of a fight with Jake Paul appear only by 2027 or so. In fact, that’s what Jake Paul told Schmo.

Speaking about his dream of becoming a formal world champion, Jake Paul shared that he is aiming at a fight against WBC cruiserweight champion Badou Jack. Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez is another alternative. Incidentally, the unified champion is fighting in the Paul-Chavez Jr. undercard. So the sports podcaster was tempted to ask, “But Canelo’s still on the horizon. Obviously you got a taste of all that boxing business, but one day you’ll get your opportunity to fight Canelo Alvarez. When do you manifest that day will be?”

So emphasizing that the ‘fight has to happen and that fans want to see it happen,’ Paul said, “We’ll see probably in the next 2 to 3 years whenever he finishes out his contract that he’s currently in.”

Now, Gervonta Davis has a rematch scheduled against Lamont Roach. So, fans could expect things to develop during the last quarter of the year.

Do you want to see a fight between Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis?