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Canelo Alvarez: You ‘need to respect’ what Jake Paul does
Ruling super middleweight boxing champ Canelo Alvarez has been getting asked about fighting YouTuber turned boxing pro Jake Paul for a while now, but his most recent response is the most positive one he’s given yet.
“When I’m done with boxing, why not? Maybe. Maybe I do it,” Alvarez told Full Send (transcription via MMA Mania). “Why not? I think it’s good because other people who never watch boxing, they don’t know anything about boxing. They wanna watch Jake Paul because he brings fans from other worlds, not boxing fans. That’s good, because everybody enjoy it. What they do, I think they do for business and you need to respect that.”
What Canelo said about fighting Jake Paul last month
Canelo is apparently getting warmer and warmer on the idea of facing Jake Paul. Just a month ago he went on The Breakfast Club and for the first time expressed some openness to the idea. Here’s what he said then:
“Yeah maybe, but not right now. For me, not right now because I’m chasing other things in my career but you never know, maybe later. Yeah.”
Alvarez then said that after he was retired as a professional, he could see himself fighting Paul in some kind of exhibition.
Alvarez was of course clear in stating that there’s no way Paul could beat him. However, he did share some respect for what Paul has been doing in the world of cross-over boxing.
“My level is another level. But look, I think he needs to enjoy what he’s doing and that’s it, he needs to calm down and start calling out people at other levels. He’s doing good things, [fights with the likes of Nate Diaz], he needs to just enjoy that.”
Sounds like he’s getting more interested by the month.
The big challenge looming on Canelo’s horizon
Alvarez is 33 so maybe he’s thinking more seriously about his post-boxing career. Of course, there’s one very serious challenger on the horizon: Terence “Bud” Crawford. After Crawford dismantled Erroll Spence, Jr. in July to unify the welterweight titles, talk of a Crawford vs Canelo bout began immediately, oh wait, the talk was about Crawford moving up to face Jermell Charlo, the man who’s moving up to face Canelo tonight.
But hype being what it is, the talk of Crawford moving up to chase Canelo has begun. Shakur Stevenson thinks Crawford can do it.
“Honestly, I think Bud can beat Canelo Alvarez,” Stevenson told iFL TV. “I would like to see it, just because I know, like — I don’t think size wins fights, I think skills do.
“I don’t know who else would listen to me, but I think Bud, stylistically — being a southpaw with good movement, sharp boxing, it would be hard for Canelo with that high guard to walk him down and load up with them big hooks how he (does), so I think Bud would beat Canelo.”
Bob Arum dismisses Bud’s chances.
“I think Canelo Alvarez wipes the floor with him. I love Crawford. I told you with Crawford and Spence that Crawford would beat the hell out of him. But Canelo is a different proposition. It’s an interesting fight but I think there’s only one winner.
“Canelo is used to fighting at a particular level and I don’t think Terence can hurt Canelo but Canelo can hurt Terence.”
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