Jake Paul Salutes Canelo's Return and Keeps Fight Talk Alive

A Jake Paul fight with Canelo Alvarez has been talked about for a long time, and it has not happened. Alvarez's latest win gave Paul a new reason to bring it up, and he did it on X.

A fight that fell through

The two were once in talks, but negotiations collapsed. In May 2025, Paul told Ariel Helwani he was confident he would have won a major upset: "I would have beaten Canelo, for sure."

His case rests on his gym. One of his main training partners, he said, is Vladimir Shishkin, whom he has sparred every day for two and a half years.

Shishkin is the fighter who "lost" to William Scull, and Paul says he beat Scull more clearly than Alvarez did. In his view, Shishkin should have been the one fighting Alvarez.

The post after Alvarez-Mbilli

Alvarez, 36, had been out since September 2025 and the unanimous decision loss to Terence Crawford. He met Christian Mbilli with the WBC super middleweight title at stake. Mbilli, known as an aggressor, was kept wary of counters over 12 rounds. Alvarez won by unanimous decision and took the belt back.

Paul answered on X. He called Alvarez "still the same old Canelo" after 13 months out and wrote "Respect." Then came the edge: "Did take a lot of punches though. We will dance my friend, we will dance."

Paul praised the performance but pointed to a flaw he believes he could use if they ever share a ring.

Paul's own ring return

Paul is scheduled to box on Christmas Eve in Dubai. It will be his first boxing match since Anthony Joshua broke his jaw in late 2025. The opponent has not been announced.

Our view

Paul's post may be a way to keep a possible Alvarez fight in public view while no deal exists. The talks failed once, and there is no sign that they have restarted. The unnamed Christmas Eve opponent will show whether Paul's next step points toward Alvarez or somewhere else.

Source: BJPenn.com