Jake Paul lost out on the biggest fight of his life.
The popular YouTuber turned prizefighter came in second place in the Saul “Canelo” Alvarez sweepstakes on Thursday night after a flurry of 11th-hour machinations resulted in Alvarez pivoting off a May date with Paul and instead signing a four-fight deal to compete under Turki Alalshikh’s Riyadh Season banner in 2025-26. Alvarez’s decision came mere hours after ESPN reported news of Alvarez and Paul finalizing a May 3 showdown in Las Vegas that was to be aired on Netflix.
Before Alvarez could put pen to paper for the Paul bout, however, Alalshikh swooped in and sold Alvarez on a lucrative two-year deal that includes a May title defense in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, followed by a blockbuster September showdown against fellow pound-for-pound great Terence Crawford at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium.
With Paul suddenly left as the odd man out, the polarizing influencer — who’s long coveted a dance date with boxing’s biggest star, Alvarez — is now forced to look elsewhere for his first fight of 2025.
An obviously frustrated Paul issued his first statement on the situation Friday, calling Alvarez an “owned slave” for his deal with Alalshikh and writing on Instagram that “Canelo ducked me.”
Breaking news: Canelo Alvarez ducked me, Jake Paul, and is now an owned slave with no regard for the pride of the Mexican people who support him on US soil. 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.
The promotional company co-owned by Paul, Most Valuable Promotions, also issued a statement Friday criticizing all involved for a lack of “integrity, transparency, and respect for the sport, its athletes, and the fans,” and writing that the 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.”
The last line likely refers to Ring Magazine, which is owned by Alalshikh and led the charge in reporting details of the “Canelo” saga as it unfolded.
If both fighters make it to September unscathed, Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) vs. Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) is expected to be one of the biggest fights for U.S. boxing over the past decade.
As for Paul’s next bout, with his dream matchup against Alvarez suddenly off the table, the 28-year-old influencer is heading back to the drawing board as he maps out his 2025 campaign.
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