CANELO ALVAREZ has warned Jake and Logan Paul they could end up being ‘killed’ in the ring if they continue their boxing careers.
The Paul brothers have made waves in the boxing world over the last few years with fights against fellow YouTubers, although Jake has graduated to facing professional fighters.
Jake, the younger of the pair, brutally knocked out retired MMA fighter Ben Askren last month to stretch his undefeated record to 3-0.
Logan, meanwhile, is currently gearing up for a June exhibition bout against Floyd Mayweather Jr.
The trend of social media stars throwing down with professionally-trained fighters has concerned many, including unified super-middleweight champion Canelo.
During an interview with Graham Bensinger, the Mexican said of the athletic commissions sanctioning the fights: “They give them boxer’s licences when they’re not a boxer.
“They could get them killed. This is not a soccer game, they could get them killed.”
Canelo, 30, is baffled by athletic commissions’ sanctioning of the bouts.
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He continued: “Why do they give licences to people who have never in their life even thrown a punch?
“If there’s a death, the commission will be responsible. Why? Because they issued the licence for the fight.”
Canelo, like many others, believes the YouTubers are disrespecting the sport of boxing with their bouts.
Last December, he said: “Ya know, it’s all about the money.
“I don’t think we would agree that people that are basketball players, that are YouTubers get licenses. Ya know, I don’t criticise (the Paul brothers).
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“This is a very risky sport, and if you go up there, it’s very risky.”
He added: “I truly believe that it’s a lack of respect. It’s all based on money. It’s all for money. I’m focused right now on other projects.
“I have other stuff going on, and I would invite him for a sparring session so that he truly knows what it’s all about.
“For true fighters, I do believe it is a lack of respect,”
Canelo is currently gearing up for a super-middleweight title unification bout with Billy Joe Saunders, who he’ll throw down with in Dallas next Sunday.
