Earlier this week, it appeared that unified 168-pound champion Canelo Alvarez was going to fight WBA 154-pound champion Terence Crawford in September; however, word came out that Alvarez was not going to fight Crawford, but fight Jake Paul in a cruiserweight bout in Las Vegas on May 3 during Cinco De Mayo weekend.
However, late Thursday night, Turki Alalshikh reported via X that Alvarez had signed a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season, and the first fight will be in May in Saudi Arabia.
According to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, the four fights could be the following:
May 2025: Jermall Charlo or Bruno Surace
Sept 2025: Terence Crawford
Feb 2026: Dmitry Bivol, Hamzah Sheeraz or Chris Eubank Jr
Oct 2026: To Be Confirmed
On Friday, Jake Paul’s MVP Promotions released a statement stating that Alvarez and Paul were very close to a deal.
Below is the statement from MVP Promotions:
“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.”
No deal is done until it’s done, and that’s what we learned from this situation.
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