‘I want someone tougher’ – Jake Paul rejects WBA title fight with former boxing world champion who fought Canelo Alvarez

Jake Paul has no interest in taking on Julio Cesar Chavez Jr for a WBA belt.

The major boxing organisation's president, Gilberto Mendoza, floated around the idea of sanctioning a fight between Paul and the former WBC middleweight champion for one of the WBA's many trinkets earlier this year.

Chavez Jr even recently declared he had received an offer to square off with Paul following the YouTuber's controversial professional bout with Mike Tyson in November.

However, Paul has put an emphatic end to such talk.

“I want someone tougher [than Chavez] and I want a real belt, not just something that gets put up for entertainment value,” Paul said on Friday.

“It’s great and all, but, honestly, he’s easy work and I want someone tougher to shut people up."

Chavez Jr, son of first-ballot Hall of Famer Julio Cesar Chavez Sr, held the WBC's version of the 160lb world title from 2011 to 2012 before dropping it to Sergio Martinez.

He fell to a one-sided unanimous decision defeat to Canelo Alvarez five years later and hasn't looked the same since.

The 38-year-old is now competing in crossover clashes with over-the-hill MMA fighters and lost to former UFC middleweight champion, Anderson Silva, in 2021.

Paul beat Silva over the distance a year later so a fight with Chavez Jr would likely be seen as a step back.

'The Problem Child's' ultimate goal is to become a world champion but he will need to receive a ranking from a major sanctioning body before that dream can be realised - although Paul doesn't seem particularly bothered about the idea of having a number next to his name.

“F*** the rankings. It’s just a number. Who cares?” Paul said.

“People just want to classify things and do a numbers chart.

"I’ve never looked at the rankings. I couldn’t care less.

"I know I’m the best in the world and I’m going to be world champion.”

His manager, Nakisa Bidarian, then added: “The rankings are, he’s the No.1 box office draw in boxing.

"He’s ranked No.1 above everybody else. That’s why [Daniel] Dubois is calling him out, that’s why [Artur] Beterbiev is calling him out, that’s why Gervonta Davis is calling him out, that’s why Ryan Garcia is calling him out, that’s why everyone and their mom is calling out Jake Paul.

"Claressa Shields is calling him out. So it’s pretty apparent who the No.1-ranked fighter in the world is across all weight classes.”