Canelo Alvarez has agreed to a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season, with the Mexican superstar leveraging a widely speculated bout with Jake Paul for a much bigger contract.
Paul was set to fight the Mexican great on Cinco de Mayo weekend in May on Netflix, with Alvarez using the bout as somewhat of a tune up ahead of his monster clash with Terrence Crawford in September.
But that's all off now as Turki Alalshikh, the head of Riyadh Season and the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia and a firm backer of Crawford, announced the deal with Alvaraez on social media.
“Don’t mess with the lion," Alalshikh said.
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Alvarez quickly replied on social media: “Let's go brother.”
The first fight under Alvarez's new deal would be in May in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Terence Crawford — the long-reigning welterweight champion — might be his second fight.
“I’m waiting on Canelo in September,” Crawford wrote on X, in reply to Alalshikh, “and going to shock the world in Riyadh Season!”
Ring Magazine, citing a source with knowledge of the details, said a bout against Crawford was planned for September in Las Vegas at the Raiders' Allegiant Stadium.
Alvarez has spent years as the biggest moneymaker in boxing, and the 34-year-old super middleweight champion used the threat of a stunt fight against Paul to leverage a major commitment from the Saudi Arabian government arm that has flooded the sport with money in the past few years.
Alvarez would have been an astronomical favourite to beat Paul, the YouTube star who has turned himself into one of the biggest draws in combat sports while fighting mixed martial artists and 58-year-old Mike Tyson.
After the latest development, Paul's MVP released a statement.
"MVP was deep in negotiations for a blockbuster fight between Jake Paul and Canelo Alvarez on Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas, a massive event for the Mexican, Puerto Rican and American fans, and it's disappointing to see how the situation unfolded.
Jake Paul and Canelo Alvarez. Getty/AP
"MVP operates with integrity, transparency, and respect for the sport, its athletes, and the fans. Unfortunately, not everyone in the boxing world shares those values."
The statement continued: "This situation is a reminder not to believe everything you read, especially when the current media environment is often controlled by those with hidden agendas, including promoters who have reporters on their payroll.
"We remain in active discussions with multiple high-profile opponents and are committed to delivering the biggest fights, the most exciting events, and to working with partners who share our values and our commitment to boxing and its fighters.
"Jake Paul isn't going anywhere, and neither is MVP. We'll continue to disrupt boxing, on our terms."
Alvarez now appears to be back on track for a meeting this year with Crawford, who will have to move up two weight classes to fight Canelo.
Alvarez last fought in September in Las Vegas, outpointing Edgar Berlanga to improve to 62-2-2. He has 39 knockouts.
