Jake Paul wants Canelo Alvarez to be his opponent in the final fight of his boxing career.
Paul has repeatedly called for a fight with the pound-for-pound king Alvarez despite having just five professional bouts under his belt. The Mexican, who moves up to light heavyweight for his clash with Dmitry Bivol in May, has played down Paul's call-outs.
The YouTube star has insisted his efforts to fight Alvarez are serious despite being mocked for the call out. Paul admitted that he couldn't beat Alvarez with the amount of experience he has now, but that could be different after five or six more fights.
"I would take the fight, right now I couldn't beat Canelo, five fights from now or six fights from now, I could put up a f***ing awesome fight and we'll see what happens," he told The Journey. "I want me vs Canelo to be my last fight, it could happen three or four years from now but it just makes sense, the two biggest names, the two highest-paid boxers in the sport going at it, why not?"
Alvarez originally dismissed Paul's move from YouTube into boxing, but he later backtracked on his comments by suggesting the new audience that Paul brings could be good for the sport. Paul has admitted he has respect for Alvarez and thinks the pair could have been friends in a different lifetime.
The 25-year-old thinks he could put up a better fight against Alvarez than some of his past opponents have done. Paul pointed to Alvarez's fight with Avni Yildrim last year, who retired after three rounds, as an example.
Who should Jake Paul fight next? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below
“I’m being dead serious. That I can contend with him, three years from now,” he told talkSPORT. "Walk away with $50m-$75m. I’ve seen guys go in there against him, and I say it all the time, the one guy recently goes three rounds and quits in the corner and doesn’t throw a punch. I have way more heart than that guy. I’m way more athletic than that guy.”
Paul will fight again in August but is yet to reveal his opponent. 'The Problem Child' has been linked with fights against Tommy Fury, who pulled out of a meeting with Paul last December, and former middleweight world champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The American has also hinted at a crossover to MMA this year, holding talks with Bellator and PFL ahead of his debut in the cage.
