Getty Jake Paul punches Mike Tyson.
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is not ruling out a potential mega-fight with social media star-turned-boxer Jake Paul.
It just won’t happen while he is the WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight champion.
“When I’m done with boxing, why not?” Alvarez said on Full Send Podcast. “Maybe, maybe I’ll do it.”
Alvarez clarified it still could happen before he retires from the sport.
“Yeah [when I’m done competing at the top],” Alvarez said. “I think it’s good because what happens is there are other people who never watch boxing or they don’t know anything about boxing, [and] they want to watch Jake Paul because he brings fans from another world, right? That’s good because everybody [gets to] enjoy it. Maybe [I’ll fight Jake Paul in the future]. Maybe.”
Alvarez, 34, defended his three belts on September 14 with a unanimous decision win over Edgar Berlanga.
Jake Paul Puts Pressure on Canelo Alvarez to Accept Fight
Paul has repeatedly challenged Alvarez in the past, and most recently after he beat Mike Tyson via an eight-round unanimous decision on November 15.
“Canelo needs me, so I’m not even going to try and call him out,” Paul said in the post-fight interview with MMA journalist Ariel Helwani. “He knows he wants a payday. So, he knows where the money man is at.
Before beating Tyson, Paul said he wanted to fight Alvarez in the cruiserweight division. Alvarez weighed in at 168 lbs. when he defeated Berlanga.
“Me vs. Canelo at 200 pounds for the cruiserweight championship of the world is the biggest fight, arguably even bigger than me vs. Tyson,” Paul said on the Timbo Sugar Show before the Tyson fight. “It makes so much sense. Canelo is on his way out. He’s going to want a payday and I want to show the world all the [expletive] I’ve been talking about beating Canelo is actually true and I’ll have the biggest upset in the history of boxing.”
But unlike the washed fighters Paul had defeated, Alvarez is not desperate to fight for the money.
The Mexican champion has a net worth of at least $275 million from his boxing and endorsement deals, according to Marca. Last year, Alvarez earned $66 million from his fights and promotions to become the top-earning boxer of 2023, per Sportico.
Alvarez holds a 62-2-2 record with 39 knockouts and is acknowledged as the face of boxing.
Paul improved to 11-1 record with seven knockouts after beating the 58-year-old Tyson.
Canelo Alvarez Says Paul-Tyson Fight Not Good for Boxing
In March, Alvarez slammed the Paul-Tyson fight as he told TMZ, “It isn’t [good for boxing].”
“I think Netflix is good for boxing, but for that fight especially, I think Netflix is doing something wrong there,” Alvarez added. “I think Netflix being involved, yes, it’s good, but not in that kind of fight. I think it’s more [of a] show than a fight. That’s what I think.”
Despite Alvarez’s dismissive view of the fight, Paul’s decisive victory over Tyson drew 60 million households and peaked at 65 million concurrent streams, Netflix and Most Valuable Promotions announced.
It also surpassed $18 million in gate attendance, which doubled the previous Texas gate record in both boxing and MMA, topping Alvarez’s record of $9 million.
Alder Almo is a basketball journalist covering the NBA for Heavy.com. He has more than 15 years of experience in local and international media, including broadcast, print and digital. He previously covered the Knicks for Empire Sports Media and the NBA for Off the Glass. Alder is from the Philippines and is now based in Jersey City, New Jersey. More about Alder Almo
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