Mexican boxer Canelo Alvarez has dropped plans to fight YouTube sensation Jake Paul by signing with Riyadh Season in Saudi Arabia.
Canelo Alvarez has agreed to a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season, with the Mexican superstar appearing to leverage a widely speculated bout with Jake Paul for a much bigger contract.
Turki Alalshikh, the head of Riyadh Season and the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, announced the deal Thursday on social media. “Don’t mess with the lion,” Alalshikh said.
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, quoting a source with knowledge of the details, said a bout against Crawford was planned for September in Las Vegas at the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium.
Crawford overcame Israil Madrimov in his last bout during a super welterweight championship boxing match in Los Angeles on August 3. The 37-year-old, the consensus best pound-for-pound boxer in the world, defeated Madrimov by unanimous decision to become a four-division champion.
Alvarez has spent years as the biggest money maker 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 sport while fighting mixed martial artists and 58-year-old Mike Tyson.
Instead, Alvarez 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.
Former UFC champion Conor McGregor said in a post on social media in December that he has reached a preliminary agreement to fight Paul in an exhibition boxing match.