CANELO ALVAREZ is still interested in fighting Jake Paul – his business manager Richard Schaefer has revealed.
The pair were in shock talks for a May 3 Las Vegas fight – with the T-Mobile Arena booked and contracts almost penned.
Canelo Alvarez is still interested in fighting Jake Paul[/caption]
Jake Paul was in talks to fight Canelo in May[/caption]
But Canelo walked away from the deal to instead sign with Saudi Arabia’s Turki Alalshikh – setting up his super-fight with Terence Crawford.
The Mexican superstar defends his undisputed super-middleweight crown on Saturday against undefeated Crawford.
And despite shelving talks with YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul – Schaefer warned not to rule it out in the future.
“Maybe at one point, why not? I could definitely see that happening,” he said.
“But, I think not now Canelo is continuing to test himself against fellow top 10 pound-for-pound fighters.
“And there’s some other young challengers waiting in the wings so we’ll see after this fight what he wants to do when he wants to do it.”
Paul, 28, instead returned with victory over ex-middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, 39, in June.
His record improved to 12-1 – losing only to Tommy Fury in 2023 – and earned him a controversial 14th cruiserweight rank in the WBA.
Canelo vs Crawford – All the info
IT’S finally time – one of the biggest boxing matches EVER takes place THIS WEEKEND.
Two of boxing’s GOATs will meet in the ring as they fight for pound-for-pound supremacy and the super-middleweight crown.
Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Terence Crawford have been fixtures in the top of the rankings for years and are considered among the best to ever do it.
Unbeaten Crawford, who beat Israil Madrimov to win the light-middleweight title last time out, hasn’t fought for a year.
He is jumping up two weight divisions to meet Canelo, having spent most of his career weighing in even lighter.
Mexican favourite Canelo has scored title defences over Edgar Berlanga and William Scull since Crawford was last inside a ring.
Here’s all the info for this must-watch fight…
INFO
- Everything you need to know for the big fight
- How much will Canelo and Crawford earn?
- Is the fight free to watch or PPV on Netflix?
- What belts are on the line?
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CANELO VS CRAWFORD: ALL THE DETAILS YOU NEED AHEAD OF THE FIGHT OF THE CENTURY
Now he faces lightweight champ Gervonta Davis, 30, in a November 14 exhibition bout on Netflix amid their FIVE STONE weight difference.
It comes after over 100 MILLION watched Paul beat a 58-year-old Mike Tyson last November – helping interest Canelo’s team into fight talks.
“There were some conversations going on and who knows maybe that fight is going to happen one day,” Schaefer revealed.
“But right now I think there’s still some other real fights out there for Canelo.
“And look, I mean you see Jake Paul and Gervonta Davis or you saw Jake Paul against Mike Tyson – Jake Paul is a is a star and he has obviously a big fan base.
“I’m never going to take anything away from him. It’s a different sport or it’s a different form of entertainment.
“There’s just no question about it – but that doesn’t mean that people are not interested.
“Obviously people are interested. They’re watching his fights and hey, you know what, good for him.”
Could I see this as a mega event, Jake Paul vs Canelo? Yeah, I could see that.
Canelo’s bussiness manager Richard Schaefer
Schaefer formerly headed up Oscar de la Hoya’s Golden Boy promotions – working with the likes of Floyd Mayweather too.
And the 63-year-old Swiss sees comparisons between those two legends and Paul in terms of fanfare.
“Could I see this as a mega event, Jake Paul vs Canelo? Yeah, I could see that,” Schaefer said.
“Would I want to watch it? Yes. Am I going to watch Jake Paul against Gervonta Davis? Yeah.
“Because it’s entertainment and that’s what people like and all these people who knock it or knock Jake Paul for it – a lot of it has to do with jealousy.
“There’s a lot of jealousy when you’re on top. I’ve seen that with Oscar, I’ve seen it with Floyd. I’ve seen it with Canelo.
“When you’re on top, you have a lot of fans because that’s why you’re on top, but you have a lot of haters as well. And I think that’s what Jake Paul experiences.”
Canelo facing off with Terence Crawford[/caption]
