Instead of facing Canelo in a once-unthinkable clash, Jake Paul is now set to battle former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on June 28 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.
While the bout with Chavez Jr. has generated interest, it pales in comparison to the historic payday Paul might have secured if a fight with Canelo had materialized.
Earlier this year, reports surfaced that Paul and Alvarez were in serious negotiations, inching toward a deal that could have sent shockwaves through both the boxing and entertainment worlds.
However, that dream matchup unraveled when Canelo made a major career move of his own. Choosing a different path, Canelo signed a four-fight deal with His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, ensuring his schedule would be locked up for the foreseeable future.
Eddie Hearn reveals the staggering financial loss for Jake Paul
According to renowned boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, the Paul-Canelo fight had the potential to generate extraordinary financial figures.
“The fight does, on pay-per-view, at $90, the fight does potentially two million buys,” Hearn said. “Which is $180 million of revenue, just TV revenue. Not closed circuit, not the gate. The gate’s another $30 million. You’re looking at over $200 million in revenue for that fight. I think that fight generates $200 million if it does two million buys,” he added.
For Jake Paul, who has continuously elevated his boxing profile with carefully calculated matchups and viral marketing strategies, losing out on a $200 million event is a significant setback. Not only would the fight have been the biggest payday of his career, but it also would have been a milestone moment, legitimizing his presence in the boxing world even further.
Speaking to Fight Hub TV, Canelo Alvarez confirmed how close the two sides actually came to striking a deal.
“We have an agreement with the promoters to go and sell the fight and everything, but not that close,” Canelo revealed.
Instead, Canelo‘s immediate focus is firmly set elsewhere. As part of his new deal with Alalshikh, Canelo will first defend his super middleweight status against IBF champion William Scull on May 3, followed by a much-anticipated bout against Terence Crawford later in the year.
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