After months of negotiations and high hopes, the much-anticipated super fight between Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford has collapsed, leaving boxing fans frustrated and uncertain about what comes next.
Late Wednesday night, The Ring Magazine delivered the crushing news, confirming that talks between Canelo and Crawford had fallen apart.
The announcement left fans scrambling for answers, with many now shifting their attention toward an unexpected alternative-Jake Paul.
Rumors have been swirling for weeks about a potential Canelo Alvarez vs. Jake Paul showdown in May. While such a fight may not add to Canelo‘s legacy, the financial upside appears too big to ignore.
Potential fight against Paul?
Matchroom Boxing CEO Eddie Hearn, who has promoted eight of Canelo‘s past fights, weighed in on the situation in an interview with IFL TV.
Hearn acknowledged that a Canelo vs. Crawford fight would have been superior in terms of boxing skill, but financially, the Jake Paul fight would be the bigger draw.
“He [Crawford] doesn’t yet have the profile of some of the greatest names of the generation,” Hearn explained. “He should have, by the way.”
In contrast, Jake Paul has already established himself as a massive attraction, capable of generating enormous pay-per-view numbers.
“What was it? 80 million accounts watched his fight or more with Mike Tyson,” Hearn pointed out, referring to Paul‘s ability to bring mainstream attention to the sport.
While Hearn fully expects Canelo to dominate Paul, he believes the event could be one of the most lucrative in boxing history.
“Even though I think this fight will be the end of Jake Paul, does it really matter?” Hearn noted.
“There always becomes an amount, and this isn’t just in boxing, there always becomes an amount of money where the answer is yes. Always remember that.”
According to Hearn‘s estimates, a Canelo vs. Jake Paul fight could generate between $60 to $80 million. With numbers that large, Hearn believes there is little reason for Canelo to turn it down.
“My guess for the number for that fight is somewhere between 60 and 80 million for the whole fight,” Hearn stated. “And with that amount of money, there is no way that anyone would deny a fight like this.”
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