Jake Paul has shared his reaction to Canelo Alvarez returning to the ring with a victory over Christian Mbilli.

Canelo claimed world honours once again as he defeated Mbilli by unanimous decision in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to win the WBC super-middleweight title.

It appeared to be a fairly competitive fight up until the halfway stage, but Alvarez then began to pull away to claim a comfortable win, as the judges scored it 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112 in his favour.

Attention has already turned to who the Mexican superstar could now take on next, and one man that has been linked to a fight with Canelo over the years is YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul.

Posting on social mediaPaul gave his take on Canelo’s performance, whilst also once again calling for a fight with the new WBC super-middleweight champion.

“Out of the ring for 13 months but still the same old Canelo. Respect. Did take a lot of punches though. We will dance my friend, we will dance.”

Out of the ring for 13 months but still the same old Canelo. Respect.
Did take a lot of punches though. We will dance my friend, we will dance.

— Jake Paul (@jakepaul) October 31, 2026

It appears unlikely that a bout between Canelo and Paul will happen anytime soon, with ‘The Problem Child’ scheduled to make his own comeback on Christmas Eve in Dubai, in what will serve as his first action since losing to Anthony Joshua last December.

As for Alvarez, he may look to now target the other world champions at 168lbs in a bid to become undisputed once again, while he has also made it clear that he would like a rematch with former foe Terence Crawford as he seeks to avenge his defeat from last year.

Hamzah Sheeraz is openly campaigning for an unearned lottery ticket against Canelo Alvarez, and boxing fans are expected to pretend this makes sense.

Fans online already assume Turki Alalshikh will force this matchup. That speaks volumes about the current matchmaking environment. People expect what they think the money wants instead of the fights worth watching. Canelo has genuine options available. A rematch with Terence Crawford makes sense, while Jaron Ennis, Dmitry Bivol, Lester Martinez, or Osleys Iglesias would each offer far more entertainment.

Sheeraz, in contrast, is the ideal safe business fight. He gives the Riyadh Season brass an easy UK marketing angle, brings a recognizable name to British television, and holds zero real threat of upsetting the apple cart. As Simon Zachenhuber showed, Sheeraz is upright, gets uncomfortable when pressed, lacks defensive subtlety, and struggles to impose his height when someone refuses to fold early.

Against Canelo, Sheeraz would stand right in range, get timed coming in, and walk straight into counters without the ringcraft to survive it. Picking him is about protecting the brand and cashing a check, not testing greatness.

“Why not, bro? Why not test myself against the best,” said Sheeraz to DAZN Boxing when asked yesterday why he wants to fight Canelo. “I’m in this game to be the best, and put myself in there with someone with the likes of Canelo. It’s stuff you can dream of. Every day, I wake up, training harder and harder. It’s starting to become more of a reality. So, now it’s like, let me get in there and let me do my thing.”

Sheeraz did himself no favors during his recent majority decision win against Simon Zachenhuber. The German walked through his shots, pressed him constantly, and exposed his discomfort under fire. Nothing in that performance signaled that Sheeraz belongs in the ring with the face of boxing.

His brief title run did not validate him either. Picking up a vacant WBO belt by blowing out Alem Begic in two rounds proved very little. Begic was 39 with a paper record built on obscure opposition. Sheeraz then vacated rather than face Janibek Alimkhanuly, citing low money and an opponent returning from a failed test. He had every right to walk away, but walking away did not prove he is elite.

The refusal to fight Iglesias makes Sheeraz even harder to sell. Canelo openly suggested Hamzah face the dangerous Cuban to earn the shot. Sheeraz rejected the idea, pointing out that Edgar Berlanga and Jaime Munguia never had to pass such an audition. Canelo might have double standards, but whining about Berlanga does not elevate Hamzah’s resume.

Testing yourself against the best is what you do after you run through actual contenders, not after edging Simon Zachenhuber on a majority decision or blasting out Alem Begic.

If Sheeraz genuinely wanted to “test himself against the best” to prepare for Canelo, Osleys Iglesias was standing right there. Canelo offered him the exact blueprint: beat the Cuban southpaw, prove you belong at the elite tier, and bring real credibility to the table.

Saying “It’s stuff you can dream of” gives the game away. It is a dream because it represents the ultimate lottery ticket: a massive purse, global visibility, and zero downside if he loses to an all-time great. Every fringe contender wakes up training hard with that exact dream.

Wanting the biggest purse in the sport is understandable from a business perspective. Pretending that ambition alone makes you a worthy challenger is the part fans are tired of seeing. If everyone who “wakes up dreaming of Canelo” got the call, the sport would be nothing but exhibition paydays. Until Sheeraz takes on a legitimate threat who can punch back, talking about testing himself just sounds like someone angling for a retirement check.

My sources tell me chances are uncomfortably high, easily hovering around 65% to 75% that Canelo fights Hamzah next. Everything coming out of Riyadh points to Hamzah Sheeraz being the preferred target for that spot: Sheeraz sat ringside in Riyadh, gave pre-fight interviews to DAZN building up the matchup, and openly positioned himself as next in line.

That is standard operating procedure when organizers are preparing the public for an announcement. From the promotional side, Sheeraz checks the exact commercial boxes Turki Alalshikh looks for. He provides a British draw to anchor UK pay-per-view buys, brings a Middle Eastern connection based out of Dubai, and comes without the brutal negotiating headaches that accompany figures like Dmitry Bivol or Terence Crawford.

For Canelo, the risk calculus makes Sheeraz almost irresistible. After working through twelve rounds with Christian Mbilli, taking on an upright target who does not use angles or elite lateral footwork is a safe day at the office. Canelo avoids the nightmare styles of Osleys Iglesias or Jaron Ennis while pocketing another massive purse.

The only real hurdles that could derail it are: Crawford agreeing to unretire for the massive bag that a rematch would command. If Crawford says yes, every other fight gets pushed aside immediately. A sudden pivot to a mandatory unification, such as Osleys Iglesias holding the IBF belt or the winner of Janibek Alimkhanuly against Jacob Bank for the vacant WBO strap, if organizers decide they want all the belts consolidated again. Lester Martinez, who holds the WBC interim belt and was also sitting ringside, is being enforced as a mandatory obligation.

As such, unless Crawford signs on the dotted line or public ridicule forces a change in direction, all arrows point toward Sheeraz getting the nod. It is safe matchmaking dressed up as an international event.

Ryan Garcia says Floyd Mayweather needs to sign up for February sixth, but that timeline makes little sense when Mayweather is not even part of active negotiations. While Garcia issues public ultimatums to a retired legend, Mike Coppinger reports that actual business points toward a clash with Teofimo Lopez.

“We’ve seen Ryan Garcia say on Twitter that he wants to fight on February 6th, whether it’s against Floyd Mayweather or Teofimo Lopez. I was told that Mayweather wasn’t even in discussion for the next fight,” said Mike Coppinger to DAZN Boxing.

“Of course, Mayweather is almost 50 years old now. It’s kind of a pipe dream. It would be a massive event, especially if it was later in the year. First, they’re working on finalizing a fight between Ryan Garcia and Teofimo Lopez, a welterweight title unification. I think it’s one of the biggest fights in all of boxing. Teofimo just regained a title fight in Rolly Romero. I want to see it.”

Teofimo brings plenty of credibility without dragging Mayweather into the promotion. He presents an active, dangerous test with quick hands, explosive pop, elite counter striking. Garcia always carries dynamite in his left hook, though overcommitting against someone as sharp as Lopez creates immediate trouble.

That title bout stands on its own merit. Taking down Lopez proves infinitely more in today’s landscape than defeating an exhibition headliner pushing fifty, regardless of casual fan buzz. As Claudia Trejo noted, Garcia commands attention whenever he speaks. That massive platform works wonders, yet chasing a ghost can drown out the legitimate challenge right in front of him.

Setting a February date proves Garcia wants to compete this winter. It definitely does not prove Mayweather is scrambling to meet a deadline. With Lopez occupying the real negotiating table, Garcia’s final warning sounds like pure noise.