It’s not been finalized, but ‘The Problem Child’ is already laying the groundwork. A potential clash with Canelo Alvarez appears to have eclipsed the much-sought-after Terence Crawford duel. Several reports suggested that the September showdown has been called off. A past master at hyping up his fights, Jake Paul seems to have kicked off the buildup with a neatly aimed swipe.

The mock follows close associate Nakisa Bidarian‘s terse message. Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn appears to be the target of the jab. Perhaps inadvertently, the Englishman stirred the pot, blurting out, “The Jake Paul fight is done.” Till a few days ago, to most fans, it seemed certain; after a long wait, Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford will join a dance. But to no avail. Hopes crashed when it emerged that the fight would not happen. On the other hand, ‘Lady Luck’ seemingly blessed Jake Paul. For long the YouTuber-turned-boxer has been a member of the Canelo Alvarez call-out team. Now his prayers may have been answered.

Jake Paul: The Boss of Bosses

“A-Side in every fight I’ve been in, and that’s not changing for this one,” stated Jake Paul through his Twitter handle. Perhaps he understands that he is facing a ‘face of boxing.’ Nevertheless, given how he has proved himself to be one of the sport’s biggest draws, confidence to surpass even a P4P great and a future Hall of Famer seems justified.

Paul stressed the point, even during the post-fight interview with Ariel Helwani. “Canelo needs me, so I’m not even going to try and call him out. But he knows he wants the payday, so he knows where the money man is at,” he said.

The developments follow an update from Eddie Hearn. Speaking with ‘Boxing News’ Andi Purewal, he was sharing his thoughts on the Canelo-Crawford setback. “I guess the talk was a Crawford fight; now it looks like the Jake Paul fight is done by all accounts,” he said.

Eddie Hearn nevertheless made it explicit. Though he had criticized Jake Paul before, he respects him for taking on a big challenge like fighting Canelo. Perhaps he understands why fighters agree to fight Jake – it’s a massive payday. Hence, Hearn doesn’t seem to have any problem with the fight happening. He might even enjoy watching it!

Hold your horses!

But Nakisa Bidarian and the team at BAVAFA Sports weren’t willing to buy the speculation. Perhaps expecting followers to wait for more accurate and confirmed news, they shared that nothing is official yet. However, once a decision is made, they’ll make a formal announcement.

On the same token, the message took down anyone (meaning Eddie Hearn?) who might be pretending they know what’s going on. “No outside promoter has any accurate insight on our discussions being concluded or not with any Jake Paul opponent (multiple names in discussion),” the post read.

Otherwise, fans might as well follow what Mike Coppinger updated on his official Twitter handle. Based on the information received from sources, the eminent boxing insider made it clear: “Canelo Alvarez and Jake Paul are in the process of finalizing a deal.” The two superstars could potentially square up at the T-Mobile Arena on May 3 for a cruiserweight clash. As it happened during the Mike Tyson fight, the Cinco de Mayo fixture could also receive airtime on the streaming behemoth Netflix.

What about you? Which matchup excites you more – Canelo-Crawford or Canelo-Jake Paul?