Jake Paul saw himself in a fight with Canelo Alvarez after the Mexican won his ring with Christian Mbilli.
Fighting for the first time in 13 months, the Mexican won a unanimous points decision after a tough fight in Riyadh, absorbing plenty of punishment from Mbilli, to win back the WBC super-middleweight title.
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The meeting in Saudi Arabia had been preceded, despite the ongoing tensions in the Middle East, and marked a significant success for the Mexican, who suffered only the third defeat of his career in his last match with Terence Crawford in September of last year.
Paul, a YouTuber-turned boxer, was a keen observer and impressed by Canelo – before vowing to fight the match at some point.
“Out of the ring 13 months, but still the same old Canelo. Watch,” he said on social media. “[He] although he did a lot of punching. My friend, we will dance, we will dance.”
The two boxers were previously close to a fight in early 2025 before Canelo signed a four-fight deal with Turkish promoter Alashikh in Saudi.
Paul confirmed that he will return the ring for the first time from Anthony Joshua when he lost the fight in Dubai on Christmas Eve. His adversary is still confirmed.