Jake Paul is just weeks away from making his first ring appearance of 2025.
He has not fought since he outpointed the now retired heavyweight icon Mike Tyson over eight rounds in Texas last November, despite receiving criticism from a large portion of the boxing community for going ahead with a bout against the 58-year-old.
As Paul turns his attention to Chavez Jr, the 28-year-old must defeat the Mexican in impressive fashion if he is to push further towards his dream of defying the odds and becoming a legitimate world champion.
One man who knows a thing or two about the former WBC middleweight champion is reigning undisputed super-middleweight king Canelo Alvarez, who comprehensively defeated Chavez via unanimous decision when they fought in their homeland back in 2017.
Speaking to Seconds Out, Canelo was asked if he believes his countryman can become the second man to defeat Paul and squander his chances of achieving world honours in the near future.
“Yeah [Chavez can win]. I obviously support Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. I hope he wins. [If] he prepares himself really good and takes it seriously and beats him.”
Chavez has triumphed in his last two outings after he was beaten by MMA legend Anderson Silva four years ago. The 39-year-old from Culiacan has set his sights on getting revenge for Mike Tyson, who fell short in his challenge of ‘The Problem Child’ at the back end of last year.
Canelo was recently in talks with Paul to stage a fight, however opted to stick to the traditional side of the sport and will defend his undisputed super-middleweight status against Terence Crawford later this year.
