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Is Canelo vs Jake Paul the biggest fight in boxing?
If there is anything to be indicated this weekend by the match between Jake Paul and Julio César Chávez Jr, it may be to underline that Paul is one of the sport’s biggest draws.
The show, which will be screened live and exclusively on DAZN, will see Paul, 11-1 (7), take on Chávez over ten rounds at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
The fight itself comes just a few weeks after Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez, 63-2-2 (39), beat Cuba’s William Scull on points to unify the super-middleweight championship of the world. And in two months, Alvarez will look to meet Terence Crawford, 41-0 (31), in a fight between arguably the #1 and #2 best boxers in the world.
There has been some ‘talk’ in recent years about a match between Paul and Alvarez. When one writes ‘talk’, it is more of a stirring of the pot between two of the industry’s biggest names.
A few days ago, it was reported widely that Canelo had picked Chávez to beat Paul in their upcoming match this weekend.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Alvarez said: “I’m rooting for Chávez, I think it’s a chance for him to redeem himself and it’s a great opportunity, I fully trust that he’ll secure that victory, I wish him all the best. Julio should win, with good preparation and focus he should come out on top.”
Given how Chávez has steadfastly refused to train like a professional for years, that may be wishful thinking.
Not to be outdone, Paul had some comments about the upcoming fight between Alvarez and Crawford.
Responding to an Instagram post from Turki Alalshikh sharing he and the two fighters sharing a meal, Paul responded to say: “That’s some goofy shit. Imagine Messi and Ronaldo grabbing dinner before a legit match against each other. Goofy.”
So there is a chance that both men may be funnelled into a match against each other. Once their respective dates with other opponents are out of the way, an Alvarez-Paul fight could look to happen in the closing months of 2025 or the beginning months of 2026.
There are a lot of hurdles to such a fight.
Firstly, there is weight. And a lot of it. Fighting Chávez at cruiserweight, Paul has come down from heavyweight in his last fight, which was an eight-round points decision over a much-faded Mike Tyson.
Alvarez, on the other hand, is a natural 168lb fighter who began his career at 139lbs and found that even the jump to 175lbs to be a little beyond him, losing to Dmitrii Bivol.
Money will also be a factor. While Paul may be the largest draw in proportion to his record and lack (so far) of a world title, he may have all the leverage when it comes to the financial negotiations. Despite Alvarez being the most-popular boxing star in the world, his fame has not transcended the boundaries of his sport.
In other words, Alvarez is a star boxer. Paul is a star who crossed over into boxing. And while Alvarez has had 67 fights, it is Paul with twelve bouts against not-top-of-the-line opponents who brings the eyeballs.
There is also the path to get there. Paul has made no secret that he wants to hold a world championship, and one of his coaches this week said that the aim is to accomplish that feat at cruiserweight. That would mean a title fight against Gilberto Ramirez, Jai Opetaia, or Badou Jack, all of whom would be hugely favoured to beat Paul. That is not to mention that Opetaia and Ramirez are headed to face each other, while Jack has to fight Noel Mikaelian again.
All of that means that the route for Paul to defend a title against Alvarez may be too torturous of one.
Paul could directly face Alvarez, but then we go back to the problem of weight. Paul is unlikely to be able to move down. Alvarez has too much guile to pack thirty or so pounds onto his frame.
But this is boxing, and money is likely to be the deciding factor. If the cash is there to finance a match between the two and they are willing, it is bound to happen.
The biggest issue lies where it always does, which is from here to there: Alvarez-Crawford may be a 50-50 fight, and Chávez has the tools to maybe do the miraculous and pull off the upset.
Jake Paul vs Julio Cesar Chavez Jr will be streamed exclusively on DAZN PPV, Saturday, June 28. Buy the PPV now here
