Canelo Alvarez is happy to take his time meeting Jake Paul in a boxing ring. Last month, Alvarez signed a multi-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh, imploding a proposed boxing match with Paul. Canelo isn’t shutting the door on a Paul fight, but it won’t happen soon.
The WBA, WBC and WBO super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez fights IBF titleholder William Scull in an undisputed showdown on May 3. Paul was outraged by the announcement, claiming that Canelo was deep into negotiations to fight him.
Canelo welcomes an eventual clash with Paul but only after his own retirement. Canelo, a four weight class world champion, hesitates to even call a bout against social media influencer turned boxer Paul “a fight.”
“I think I did the correct thing being with Turki Alalshikh,” Alvarez told CBS Sports’ Brian Campbell. “That’s the way I feel. I think there is so much potential in the future and that’s why we chose to be working with him.
“Because [Scull] is better for me [as an opponent] at this point in my career. I just want to continue making history. I don’t even call [boxing Paul] a fight, it’s more of an event than a fight. That event can wait until I retire.”
Canelo’s timeline to fight Paul echoes what he previously told “The Full Send Podcast” in September 2023. Canelo sees crossover potential in fighting Paul but not while he competes at a high level.
“When I’m done with boxing [at the highest level], why not? Yeah, maybe,” Canelo said. “I think it’s good because it brings fans who don’t normally watch boxing. They know Jake Paul, but they don’t know anything about boxing. Maybe [I’ll take the Paul fight].”‘
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