Jake Paul may be in for the biggest fight of his brief boxing career when he faces the legendary Mike Tyson on Friday, but Paul has his sights set on even bigger game in the future. If Paul has his way, he'll dominate the former undisputed heavyweight champion as the world watches on Netflix before calling out one of the modern era's greats in Saul "Canelo" Alvarez
"I do [have a callout]. It's 'Canelo,'" Paul said on the TimboSugarShow podcast. "This moment will prove that I'm the face of boxing, the largest attraction. Me vs. 'Canelo' at 200 pounds for the cruiserweight championship of the world is the biggest fight, arguably even bigger than me vs. Tyson. It makes so much sense. 'Canelo' is on his way out. He's going to want a payday, and I want to show the world that all the shit I've been talking about beating 'Canelo' is actually true."
Alvarez has been at the top of the sport for nearly a decade, winning titles in several divisions and spending much of that time viewed as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world.
One thing Alvarez has not yet done is win a cruiserweight title, though he has teased testing himself in the 200-pound division. Beyond the fight being "huge" based on the money it could make as well as Alvarez being enticed into a cruiserweight bout, Paul believes his own box office success could stir Alvarez into making a deal.
"I'll have the biggest upset in the sport of boxing, and we will fight to really see who actually is the face of boxing because, after this event, I'm going to claim it," Paul said. "I beat his gate record in Texas, I'm beating the ticket sales, all of that stuff. So, the numbers and the data show it. I have more followers than him, etc. And now this is going to be the most watched fight of this century, so I'm going to be the new money magnet."
Of course, boxing's sanctioning bodies responsible for the four recognized world titles all have a current cruiserweight champion, so even if Alvarez would take the bait, there's not exactly a clean and clear path to a cruiserweight title bout between the pair.