Jake Paul Calls Out Canelo Alvarez After TKO Win over Ryan Bourland

Highlights

• Jake Paul called out Canelo Alvarez after his first-round TKO win over Ryan Bourland.
• Paul claims he is aiming to fight all the biggest names in boxing.
• The YouTuber believes he is now “the face of this sport”.

YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul has called out seasoned boxer Canelo Alvarez for a bout after his first-round TKO win over Ryan Bourland. He even went as far as to tell the famous Mexican to ‘stop ducking’ his approaches for a fight.

It took Paul, who has been criticised for cherry-picking his opponents, a mere two minutes and 37 seconds of his match-up with Bourland in San Juan, Puerto Rico, to end the fight. The Ohio native outlanded Bourland 24-3 with some early jabs and right hands to the body before referee Luis Pabon was forced to bring the bout to a stop.

Speaking to Ariel Helwani after the fight, Paul was quizzed about who was next on the cards. Admitting that Alvarez is on his hit list, Paul claimed that he wants to fight ‘all the biggest names’ in the world of boxing.

“Hey Canelo, stop ducking. I know you want it. I’m repping Puerto Rico, you’re repping Mexico, so it’s Puerto Rico vs Mexico. I want Canelo. I want all the biggest names. Like I said, I’m the face of this sport. Truly, who’s doing more for boxing than me? I keep on proving myself time and time again.”

Amanda Serrano pulls out at last minute

Fight with Nina Meinke was main event

Amanda Serrano, women’s boxing champion, was set to defend her IBF, WBA and WBO women’s featherweight titles against Nina Meinke on the same night as Paul, who is also her agent. Paul demanded that he and Bourland take centre stage on the undercard so that Serrano could be the main attraction in her native Puerto Rico.

She was prevented from defending her trio of titles, however, because of an eye injury. Paul’s company, Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), announced the fight would not be going ahead approximately 30 minutes before Serrano was set to take to the ring after being deemed ‘medically unfit’.

“Amanda Serrano has unfortunately been declared medically unfit by the Puerto Rican Boxing Commission to fight tonight due to an eye injury she sustained yesterday.”

Serrano’s fight in Puerto Rico marked an important time in her career, given it would be the first time fighting back in her home country since emerging as the undisputed featherweight champion. The crowd had little sympathy for the teary-eyed Serrano, however, as they booed while she addressed them in the wake of the unfortunate news.

Jake Paul’s boxing career so far

Paul: ‘I’m on the road to become world champion’

Back in 2020, Paul made his boxing debut against fellow social media star AnEson Gib – and came out victorious, leaving the American hungry for more. He then got in the ring with fighters making their debut, such as Nate Robinson and Tyron Woodley, a former UFC Welterweight champion.

Defeating the latter twice was sweet enough – but Paul’s most emphatic win to date came over Nate Diaz, who swapped the Octagon of the UFC to make his pro boxing debut against the prizefighter. His win over Diaz came after his first loss on the professional scene to Tommy Fury.

Paul (now 9-1, 6 KOs) has won three bouts on the bounce after his first career loss to Tyson Fury’s brother, Tommy, in February 2023. Heading into his most recent clash, he was coming off a first-round knockout of Andre August – a less experienced journeyman than Bourland – back in December.

In his post-fight conversation with Helwani, the winner claimed that he is becoming much sharper with every fight and that becoming the world champion is on the agenda for him and his team.

“I mean, he was supposed to give it to me, right? This guy [Ryan Bourland] has 19 fights, he’s super experienced, so guess we’ve got to step it up way more. But I’m ready. I’m getting sharp. This is my life now and like I said, I’m on the road to world champion.”

Whether he’s ready for an opponent of Alvarez’s ilk and status in the boxing world remains unknown for the time being – but one thing is for certain, Paul is here to stay and wants to become the best – but to become the best, you have to beat the best.