Canelo Alvarez’s night in Riyadh lasted only a few hours before Jake Paul got his name into it. “Did take a lot of punches though,” Paul wrote on X, according to Sportskeeda, which framed the post as a callout of the newly crowned champion.
Six words, and a backhanded compliment at best. Paul gave Canelo the win but suggested the 160-pounder-turned-super-middleweight king paid a toll for it. Mbilli made Canelo work, and Paul clearly wanted everyone to remember that part.
The Fight Paul Was Talking About
Canelo beat Christian Mbilli by unanimous decision on October 31, with the judges turning in cards of 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110, per Championship Rounds. The account reported the result makes Canelo a three-time super middleweight world champion. That 115-112 card is the one that jumps out. One judge saw a fight a lot closer than the 117-110 scorer did, which is exactly the opening Paul went looking for.
View post on X
The bout headlined the Mexico vs. The World card at The Venue Riyadh, a show Turki Alalshikh hyped heavily on X all day. Doors opened at 4 p.m. local time, the main fight was slated for midnight, and Alalshikh pushed a free stream of the prelims before the two super middleweights walked out.
Why Paul Is Talking Now
The timing isn’t random. Most Valuable Promotions, Paul’s company, announced on October 29 that he’s back on Thursday, December 24, in Dubai, billing it as a Christmas Eve spectacle. That announcement didn’t name an opponent. So two days after putting a date on the calendar, Paul attached himself to the biggest name in boxing on the biggest night of Canelo’s fall.
View post on X
It’s a familiar move from Paul. He knows a Canelo mention travels further than almost anything else he could post, and needling the champ about the shots he absorbed costs him nothing while he’s sitting on a date with no name next to it.
Whether Canelo bothers to answer is another matter. He just added a third reign at 168 pounds, and he doesn’t need Paul’s attention. Paul, meanwhile, has eight weeks to fill that empty slot on the December 24 card in Dubai.
View post on X
