Is Jake Paul or Canelo Alvarez boxing's current pay-per-view king?

Jake Paul (left) and Canelo Alvarez [Image courtesy: @jakepaul and @canelo on Instagram]

There's no denying that American YouTuber and social media influencer Jake Paul has taken the boxing world by storm in recent times. Although Paul is not exactly a 'real' boxer, he is pulling in major pay-per-view numbers.

The undisputed world super-middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez, on the other hand, is arguably the face of boxing right now, which means the Mexican generates a lot of attention globally.

Ever since entering the fight business, Paul has been pulling in some major pay-per-view buys, which begs the question of who between the two is the current pay-per-view king.

The pay-per-view buys of Paul and Alvarez's last fights provide an insight.

Paul last fought in August this year against seasoned UFC veteran Tyron Woodley. Paul vs. Woodley sold roughly 500,000 pay-per-views. 'Problem Child' Paul earned roughly US$ 2.8 million from his fight, excluding a share of the pay-per-view. The exact share of the pay-per-view has not been disclosed. It is estimated that Paul would've bagged approximately US$ 6-7 million in total from the fight.

While Paul is doing well in the boxing business, there is no comparison between the earnings of Alvarez and Paul. Alvarez's recent fight against Caleb Plant sold nearly 800,000 pay-per-view buys in the US alone. Global numbers are awaited.

Furthermore, the Mexican was guaranteed US$ 40 million for the fight and will be given 40-50% of the pay-per-view share as well. Effectively, the P4P king is also the current pay-per-view king in boxing.

800,000 PPV BUYS. Approximately $18 Million gate. Trainer of the year @CANELOTEAM & Fighter of the year @Canelo 2021. The dream team having a tremendous year. #NoBoxingNolife https://t.co/lIJGWIUPff

Will Canelo Alvarez fight Jake Paul down the line?

Paul wants to fight Alvarez down the line. While the bout will not make sense competition-wise, the business aspect is huge. In the past we have seen such crossovers generate huge revenue.

Paul's older brother Logan fought Floyd Mayweather Jr. earlier this year. The fight sold more than one million pay-per-views. That's why the possibility of Jake Paul vs. Canelo Alvarez cannot be dismissed.

Alvarez is not interested in these 'money fights' as he wants to build his legacy. However, if he decides to retire with a hefty cheque one day, this could be an option.