Jake Paul has accused Saul “Canelo” Alvarez of ‘ducking’ him, after talks for a fight between the pair collapsed at the 11th hour.
On Thursday night (6 February), YouTube star Paul was seemingly on the verge of securing a fight with Canelo, who then opted to sign a four-bout deal with Riyadh Season instead.
As part of that deal, Canelo will box Terence Crawford in a super-fight in Las Vegas in September, after facing an as-yet-unnamed opponent in May. The Mexican, who holds the unified super-middleweight titles, will then fight at two Riyadh Season events in 2026 – in February and October.
Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi adviser who effectively runs big-time boxing at present, celebrated signing the 34-year-old on Friday, while telling ESPN: “Canelo fights only real fighters.” Later on Friday, Paul hit out at Canelo on social media, while his company Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) released a statement.
“Breaking news: Canelo Alvarez ducked me, Jake Paul,” wrote the 28-year-old. “It’s not surprising when his whole career he has done nothing for the sport of boxing outside the ring. I’m the new face of boxing. You cannot have the biggest fight of 2025 without my name involved.
“When all of your events tank and lose money you will all realize who the king of the sport is. 28 years old. Biggest fight in boxing history. My own boss. Not owned. 5 years in. All of you felines want to see me fail, but god has other plans. It’s the era of good. The era of the elephant. It’s the era of MVP.”
Paul, who holds wins over former UFC champions and lower-level professional boxers, last fought in November, outpointing heavyweight legend Mike Tyson, 58. While the bout was highly controversial, largely due to the age discrepancy between the fighters, it proved successful. Paul reportedly earned around $40m for the fight, while Tyson allegedly made close to $20m. Netflix, which streamed the contest, said it reached 60m households.
Paul has long eyed a clash with Canelo – a former undisputed champion who has held belts at four weights – but Alalshikh named Canelo vs Crawford among his dream fights for 2025. The match-up is admittedly somewhat contrived, though: while Crawford, like Canelo, is a four-weight champion and former undisputed king, the American only recently hit a career-heaviest weight of 154lb; to box Alvarez, the 37-year-old will have to move up two more divisions.
MVP’s statement on this week’s saga read: “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.
“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.
“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.”
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