Jake Paul, boxing
Jake Paul says Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez had previously agreed to fight him over an alleged phone call.

YouTuber-turned-professional boxer Jake Paul had more to say about Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez after the Mexican champion quickly dismissed the possibility of a fight between the two despite Paul's massive financial offer.

A few days ago, Paul said he would be willing to pay Canelo $200 million to make the fight happen, comments that prompted the Mexican boxer to repost Paul's quote on social media alongside a string of laughing emojis.

The reaction did not sit well with Paul, who, during a public appearance at the Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, suggested Álvarez would not be laughing if they ever stepped into the ring together.

"I don't know what it means, but I am going to beat his ass," Paul said, referring to the emojis Canelo shared on social media. "Yeah, 200 (million) for him, 300 for me will get the deal done. Easy work."

Paul, who has not fought since December of last year when he suffered a broken jaw in his defeat to Anthony Joshua, has floated the possibility of a blockbuster fight with Álvarez for some time.

In a video posted to his YouTube channel, Paul claimed he had already spoken with the Mexican boxer and alleged Álvarez verbally agreed to a fight during a phone call.

According to reports, the sides came close to finalizing a deal last year for a surprise Las Vegas bout scheduled for Cinco de Mayo weekend, but negotiations reportedly collapsed after Canelo signed a multiyear deal with Riyadh Season, backed by Turki Alalshikh.

Since going pro in 2020, Paul has compiled a 12-2 record (7 KOs) across 14 fights. His résumé includes bouts against former mixed martial arts stars such as Anderson Silva and former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson. One of the most notable wins of his career came in June of last year, when he defeated Julio César Chávez Jr. by unanimous decision in California.

While Paul's camp tries to reach a deal with Álvarez, Canelo is expected to return to the ring in September against Christian Mbili, the current World Boxing Council super middleweight champion. Canelo has not fought since losing to Terence Crawford and surrendering his undisputed super middleweight title in September of last year.

Originally published on Latin Times