The two are closing in on a deal for a May 3 cruiserweight bout (200-pound limit) at Las Vegas, ESPN reported Thursday night. The match reportedly would be carried by Netflix.
Paul owns an 11-1 boxing record, but he has yet to oppose a fighter close to Alvarez's level. The 28-year-old Cleveland native rose to fame as an internet personality, garnering a huge social media following.
Paul's stardom peaked when he beat 58-year-old Mike Tyson by unanimous decision at the Dallas Cowboys' stadium in Arlington, Texas. The eight-round match drew gate revenues of $18.1 million - a record for a boxing or mixed martial event held outside of Las Vegas. It attracted a peak of 65 million concurrent streams on Netflix, a streaming record for a live sporting event.
Alvarez (62-2-2) is the reigning unified world super middleweight champion, and he previously captured world titles at light heavyweight, middleweight and light middleweight. The 38-year-old Guadalajara, Mexico, native most recently defeated Edgar Berlanga by unanimous decision.
Per the ESPN report, Alvarez had been in discussions to oppose Terence Crawford (41-0) in September in Las Vegas, and it was unclear whether a matchup against Paul in May would affect those plans.