Promoter Eddie Hearn favors Canelo Alvarez fighting the influencer Jake Paul next in May on Cinco de Mayo, as he views it as a contest that will generate a lot of money.
The Money Factor
Hearn feels that Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) is running out of people to fight in boxing, so it makes sense for him to take a fight that would earn him more money than if he faced someone else.
Turki Al-Sheikh wants Canelo to fight Crawford, and if it can be negotiated, that fight can happen this September. You can’t know for sure if that fight will happen because Crawford may have ideas of wanting the same kind of money as Canelo due to the two of them both being four-division world champions.
The difference is that Alvarez has better opposition and is hugely popular nationwide, while Terence is mostly popular in Omaha, Nebraska.
However, Canelo should fight Jake Paul next in May rather than an obscure fighter like William Scull or Christian Mbilli. IBF super middleweight champion Scull will likely be the one Alvarez faces if he doesn’t fight Jake Paul in May.
“Whenever I’ve spoke to Saul about Jake Paul, he’s always gone, ‘Pay me the money and I’ll fight,’” said Eddie Hearn to Matchroom Boxing about the possible Canelo Alvarez vs. Jake Paul fight for May. “Saul is so transparent. That’s why I love being with Canelo.
“Zero bull s***. ‘Give me the money,’ and he’ll fight. That’s it. So, he looks at Jake Paul, and he goes, ‘Yeah, yeah, you want to pay me the money? Yeah, I’ll fight him.’ I don’t like a lot of thing Jake Paul has done. If he fights Canelo Alvarez, and obviously, the main reason he’s doing that is for an incredible amount of money.
“I’ll watch it. I would love to watch it, and by the way, respect. If you go in there, you are fighting a pound-for-pound great. I don’t know what they’re going to do about weight. Jake is a big lump. Maybe Canelo is going to have to give up 10 or 15 lbs. It’s not going to matter, but I would watch it.”
From Canelo’s perspective, there’s a lot more for him to gain financially and popularity-wise for him to fight the YouTuber Jake Paul than the little-known William Scull for far less money and attention. Jake Paul has 27 million Instagram followers and 20 million YouTube subscribers. Those figures are staggering, especially when you factor in how many of those people will order the Canelo vs. Paul fight on PPV.
The Crawford Question
“And if you’re Caneo, he’s done everything. Obviously, the Crawford fight,” said Hearn. “I think he’s run out of options. If Bivol wins on February 22nd, he can fight Bivol for the undisputed light heavyweight world championship. But that’s a really tough fight. Why would you do that when you can fight Jake Paul for double the money? So, good luck to him. Good luck to them all.
“Obviously, I know that Canelo-Crawford are in talks, and it’s a passion of His Excellency of his to make that fight. I don’t know about Jake Paul. It’s massive money, and on paper, it’s a very easy fight for Canelo. So, I’m sure he’s thinking, ‘Let’s do it,’” said Hearn.
Canelo-Paul will likely do more PPV numbers than Canelo vs. Crawford. That’s not to say that Jake has anywhere near the kind of talent that Crawford has because he’s not a world-class fighter. However, with Paul’s following on Instagram and YouTube, many more people will be aware of the Canelo-Paul fight and be willing to order it on PPV rather than a match between Canelo and Crawford.
Last Updated on 02/05/2025