Canelo Alvarez’s “diplomatic” response when asked about a potential fight with YouTube performer Jake Paul has some in the boxing world taking notice.
Whilst preparing for his undisputed super-middlweight title fight against Caleb Plant on November 6, the current WBC/WBO/WBA 168-pound champion was asked for his thoughts on potentially fighting Paul.
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Alvarez wouldn’t have been out of place to scoff at such a question in preparation for another fight, especially since he is currently boxing’s biggest star and highest earner.
Yet the Mexican took a different approach when asked if he was willing to fight the YouTuber turned boxer.
“We don’t know,” Alvarez said in an interview with FightHype.com.
“We don’t know. We never say no. We don’t know. He can try and keep … fighting and learning. We’ll see in the future.”
Paul has called out some of combat sports’ biggest names and has been a polarising figure, with several boxing purists laughing off his attempts at trying to be a legitimate fighter.
“I’m not going to say I don’t like or I like. Everybody has his [own] personality. So it’s good,” Canelo added.
Asked what Paul would need to do or improve on, Alvarez said: “Lot of things. Lot of things.”
The undefeated Paul has recorded four professional with three by knockout as a prizefighter, his latest victory being an eight-round decision over MMA fighter Tyron Woodley in August.
Earlier in the year Paul, a cruiserweight, proclaimed that he’d need just three years to be ready to fight Alvarez, and that if fighters like Avni Yildirim and Billy Joe Saunders could get in the ring with the Mexican superstar, then he can too.
“So if those guys can go in there and hang in there with Canelo, can Jake Paul in three years go 12 rounds and beat him? We’ll see. Don’t put it past [me],” Paul told reporters at the time.
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