Boxing fans were recently shocked to learn that Jake Paul and Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez were in advanced talks to fight in May.
The four-weight world champion from Mexico has been called out by Paul for some years now, though has always dismissed the challenge. That apparently changed following the success of the 28-year-old’s controversial bout with Mike Tyson last year.
Though the main event was underwhelming, the event – streamed live on Netflix – was an incredible success. That must have intrigued Canelo, who is currently unified super-middleweight world champion, and it is said that the two were to face off at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on May 3.
Canelo had a change of heart before the fight was announced, opting instead to sign a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season that will see him continue on the traditional path of the sport, first facing IBF Champion William Scull in May for a chance to become undisputed once more before pushing ahead to a mega fight with Terence Crawford in September.
Paul has since claimed that the pound-for-pound star ‘ducked’ him, but a previous interview of Canelo’s shows that he has little worry about the skill match-up. The 34-year-old from Guadalajara branded his would-be opponent “this f***ing YouTuber.”
“Hey guys, don’t pay attention to anything of this f****** YouTuber. I just fight real fighters. No f****** around with Canelo. Come on, let’s go.”
Who Paul will fight instead is yet to be announced, however there is now a distinct possibility that, with the added bad blood, the Canelo bout takes place further down the line.
