Despite all kinds of criticisms against Jake Paul, the 24-year-old Ohio native never backs down. Right from moving to Los Angeles as a kid with big dreams, to getting laid off from a popular Disney show and blowing up on YouTube, to now becoming one of the most talked-about names in boxing, he is clearly doing something right.
‘The Problem Child’ envisions facing elite athletes like Conor McGregor and Canelo Alvarez in the opposite corner down the line. Initially, fans and boxing purists dismissed him for even considering such possibilities. But when he viciously dropped Ben Askren in the ring, those fights seemed not as implausible as they did before.
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His target opponent, Canelo Alvarez, has been vocal about his displeasure over the ‘YouTube boxing’ movement. In an interview with Graham Bensinger, he questioned how the Paul brothers received pro-boxing licenses, even without prior experience.
However, in a recent interview with talkSPORT, Jake Paul shared that the four-division champ has now “retracted” his earlier stance on YouTube boxing –
“All I wanna do is make boxing more popular, make it more exciting and that will help everyone in this sport grow. I think even Canelo at first was like YouTube boxing is bad and then he was man enough to retract his statement, ‘actually, I’ve thought this through and I think this is good for the sport’,” said Jake Paul.
Canelo Alvarez is in two minds about the Paul brothers
In today’s boxing world, possibilities are endless. Most fans are still not over the fact that the internet star, Logan Paul, actually fought boxing’s greatest ever star in Floyd Mayweather. Given that ‘Money’ has already solidified his legacy and status in the sport, exhibition fights are not really a problem for him.
Read More: Mike Tyson Senses Bad Outcome for Jake Paul’s Opponent Tyron Woodley: “Paul’s a Real Good Striker”
However, it might not be the same for Canelo Alvarez, as he is still looking to dominate multiple divisions by fighting the best athletes available.
The four-division champ is clearly in two minds about Jake Paul. In May, Alvarez talked about how licensing such fighters could be bad for the sport and dangerous for people like the Paul brothers.
However, in another interview, he also talked about how the Ohio natives are bringing new audiences to the sport. He highlighted it is good for boxing.
Jake Paul wants to fight Canelo Alvarez by 2024
Jake Paul is a natural cruiserweight and usually walks around at 190 lbs. He is fighting Tyron Woodley on August 29 in that class as well. Hence, a matchup between the two (Canelo and Paul) would either have to be at light-heavyweight or at a catchweight mark like 180 lbs.
After knocking out Sergey Kovalev in 2019, Alvarez bagged the WBO light-heavyweight title. However, he later had to forfeit the belt to comply with WBO’s guidelines. Now, he has his eyes set on either unifying the super-middleweight division by fighting Caleb Plant for the IBF title or moving back up to light-heavyweight to face Dmitry Bivol, the WBA champion.
Jake Paul recently shared that he wants to fight the Mexican champ in three years. It would be unwise to disregard the possibility of that happening, as Jake Paul is already one of the most talked-about names in boxing.
Also Read: “Bald” Jake Paul Humiliates UFC President Dana White Over “The Shtick’s Getting Old” Comment
However, it could all even come down to the outcome of the Paul vs Woodley fight on August 29. A win over the former UFC champion would definitely boost his value. However, a loss could be equally detrimental to all the progress that ‘The Problem Child’ has made so far.
Do you see Paul vs Alvarez as an actual possibility?
