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The boxing world just got rocked. Fresh off the news that legendary boxer Canelo Alvarez will not fight Terence Crawford in what was a highly anticipated bout expected for September, the 34-year-old native of Guadalajara, Mexico and Jake Paul are finalizing a deal for a May 3 clash, per ESPN's Mike Coppinger.
Although it is not yet official, all indications are that Paul and Alvarez will collide in a cruiserweight showdown in Las Vegas, Nevada's T-Mobile Arena. The former will get into the ring against a top-flight boxer, at long last, while the latter will have to pack on some pounds in order to jump up a weight class.
Considering the buzz there was surrounding Paul's November match with Mike Tyson, these two men and Netflix should rake in substantial revenue for this spring clash. But just because many fans will watch the fight, does not mean they will be happy about it.
People rushed to social media to voice their strong opinions on this boxing bombshell.
Fans react to Paul-Alvarez stunner
“This will test Paul,” @WageMeta commented on X, formerly twitter. “This shouldn’t happen, how can Jake Paul fight Canelo and he’s never boxed a ranked boxer in his class,” @JBoogie2494 said. “Boxing fans will be in shambles when Jake Paul ends him,” @HomelanderMMA predicted. “Finally fighting someone that isn’t retired,” @vicberggren remarked. “Canelo is no joke, Jake is gonna find out.”
Others focused on the Alvarez side of things, expressing disappointment that he is opting for the flashier bout rather than the ones diehard fans want to see. “Not even mad at Jake Paul but Canelo, on the other hand how you going to duck {David} Benavidez and Crawford smh,” @jasoneg33 posted. “Canelo turning down fighting “Bud” for Jake Paul is honestly a bad look for boxing… imagine Jon Jones announced he's fighting Jake in MMA over fighting Tom Aspinall,” @KyleAnthonyUFC said. “There would be riots.”
Paul, a YouTuber-turned-boxer, is among the most polarizing figures in the sport. He has an 11-1 record, with his lone defeat coming against Tommy Fury, brother of all-time great heavyweight Tyson Fury, in February of 2023. Most of his triumphs have come against mixed martial artists or boxers past their prime. Alvarez carries a lot of mileage into this fight (62-2-2), but he presents a mammoth challenge for “The Problem Child.”
There is plenty of time to analyze the competitors, but beyond the action itself, this will be a grand spectacle. Paul called his shot three years ago, and now it seems like he will have the opportunity to authenticate it.