Jake Paul Should Thank Canelo Alvarez for Saving Him from an Embarrassing Beating

Jake Paul Should Thank Canelo Alvarez for Saving Him from an Embarrassing Beating

Jake Paul’s prolonged outrage should have ended on Thursday, when someone should have reminded him that the smartest move might have been to send a thank-you letter to Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.

Canelo’s last-minute change of plans spared Paul from a humiliating defeat, one that even his already questionable reputation might never have recovered from. While Alvarez accepted a bigger payday to fight Terence Crawford instead of Paul, the harsh reality remains: Jake Paul had no business stepping into a boxing ring with a four-division world champion, who is still one of the top 10 pound-for-pound fighters in the sport.

The 34-year-old Mexican legend, six years older than Paul, is simply on an entirely different level of skill and experience. This wouldn’t have been an exhibition fight against an over-the-hill 58-year-old former champion willing to play along in some scripted spectacle.

Had the Canelo vs. Paul fight happened, it would have been the complete opposite of Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul. The only thing Paul would have been carrying out of T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, to use his own words about Tyson, would have been himself—on a stretcher.

Make no mistake: Paul would have taken a brutal beating from Alvarez. Even if he was allowed to weigh in at the cruiserweight limit of 200 pounds—a full 25 pounds heavier than the highest weight Alvarez has ever fought at in his 19-year, 66-fight professional career—it wouldn’t have changed the inevitable outcome.

Jake Paul Was Never in Canelo Alvarez’s League

Paul (11-1, 7 KOs) has put in commendable effort training in Puerto Rico and embracing the life of a professional boxer. Anyone who makes a living in boxing deserves respect, regardless of their level of competition.

But the reality is that none of the 12 opponents Paul has faced over the past five years could have prepared him for what awaited him against a generational great. Alvarez wouldn’t have gone easy on him, not just for his own pride, but to shut down the noise coming from a fighter who has built his reputation by calling out legends without truly understanding what elite boxing is.

Paul’s boxing career has been built on knocking out retired UFC fighters, an ex-NBA point guard, unknown fighters with inflated records, and a former business partner who was completely washed up when he last fought 19 years ago against Kevin McBride. That lineup doesn’t prepare you for someone like Canelo.

A Mismatch That Was Somehow Approved

Even more concerning is that the Nevada State Athletic Commission, always eager to sanction commercially lucrative but questionable fights, was ready to approve this completely lopsided matchup.

That’s why Canelo vs. Paul was a terrible idea—because boxing is not a game.