The possible fight between Canelo Alvarez and YouTuber Jake Paul will be seen as a freak show by fans no matter how competitive it is for their rumored Cinco de Mayo clash in May. It could sell more than Canelo’s fight against Terence Crawford in September if it happens.
More people know who Jake Paul is than they do Crawford, and I’m not talking about boxing fans. These are Jake’s fans, and he’s got a ton of them willing to order a fight against Canelo on PPV.
Legacy or Loot
“It’s a freak show fight. He’s [Jake Paul] not getting respect because it depends on how he performs,” said Ade Oladipo to DAZN Boxing about how Jake Paul won’t get respect from hardcore boxing fans for fighting Canelo Alvarez if they battle on Cinco de Mayo in May.
“Jake is one of the most thick-skinned persons I’ve seen in my life. He doesn’t care about abuse directed his way. It seems to go right over his head. It depends on how he does in that fight. If Jake lasts four or five rounds with Canelo and gets up from a couple of body shots, then I think, ‘Okay, thumbs up.’ Everyone is going to show him respect, and rightly so.
“If Jake gets washed in a round and gets $100 million for getting washed in a round, I don’t think he gets respect. Should he get respect? Who wouldn’t jump in the ring with Canelo for $100 million for a round?”
Of course, hardcore boxing fans still won’t respect Jake Paul if he fights Canelo because, regardless of the outcome, they view it as a circus-level fight that shouldn’t be happening. It makes a joke out of the sport to have a fighter who has never fought anyone at the world level and is mainly known as someone who hustles fights take on Canelo.
In the NFL, a YouTuber team couldn’t enter the league and use its popularity to go to the Super Bowl; Jake Paul would be doing the same if he fought Canelo. If it’s an exhibition, that’s okay, but it’s still a joke. An actual fight that counts on the records should not be allowed.
“I don’t know if Canelo views Jake as a joke, a bit of a sideshow. I’m not quite sure. I’ve always viewed him as someone that wants to put this sideshow to bed,” said Ade, responding to whether he believes Canelo will carry Jake Paul to intentionally not knock out the overmatched fighter.
Marketing Genius
“I expect Canelo to go in and blow him out. My worry is Canelo-Jake Paul is bigger than Canelo-Crawford. I don’t want it to take away from Canelo-Crawford. Canelo vs. Jake Paul does bigger numbers than Canelo-Crawford. Even if Jake Paul catches him, it’s going to bounce off,” said Ade.
I suspect Canelo thinks Jake is a complete joke of a fighter, but if he’s going to be paid an enormous amount of money, he’d probably do it. If it paydays more than Canelo made for his gimme fights against Edgar Berlanga, Jaime Munguia, John Ryder, and Billy Joe Saunders, he’d fight Jake in a second.
Boxing fans view Jake as a hustler using the sport to sell his fights to his huge following on YouTube and Instagram. He reportedly made $100 million from his boxing career, and if he fights Canelo, he could dramatically increase that total. The fight will sell
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