Jake Paul called out Saul “Canelo” Alvarez after their supposed mega-fight in May on Netflix was scrapped with the Mexican boxing champion changing course at the 11th hour.
Instead of fighting Paul in an exhibition match for Cinco de Mayo, Alvarez will fight in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, for the first time as part of a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season, ESPN’s Mike Coppinger reported on Friday, Feb. 7.
“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,” Paul wrote in a scathing post on X in response to the sudden turn of events.
Paul and Alvarez were in the process of finalizing a deal when talks collapsed, according to Coppinger.
Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, announced Alvarez’s four-fight deal with Riyadh Season on X.
“Don’t mess with the lion 🦁… 4 fights for Canelo with Riyadh Season … The Deal is done 🥊 … A Lion 🦁 doesn’t lose sleep over opinion of a sheep 🐑… Fear the lion 🦁 not the jungle 🤷🏻♂️ ,” Alalshikh wrote on X, announcing the lucrative deal.
MVP Promotions Slams Canelo Alvarez’s Decision
Paul’s event company, MVP promotions, came out with a statement to set the record straight and criticized Alvarez’s decision to turn his back on their negotiations.
“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,” Paul’s MVP Promotions, said in a statement.
They also took a shot at Coppinger, who reported the twist and turn of the negotiations.
“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,” the MVP Promotions statement added.
Paul’s camp added they are in “active discussions” with multiple high-profile opponents for the social media star-turned-fighter.
HOF Boxing Promoter Thanks Turki Alalshikh For Saving Boxing
Alalshikh further flamed Paul’s anger when he told ESPN, “Canelo only fights real fighters.”
Lou DiBella, American boxing promoter and International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee, expressed his gratitude to Alalshikh for saving boxing from what he said would have been another “travesty.”
“No question that Canelo vs Jake Paul not happening is good for what VERY little is left of the integrity of #boxing. The sham of that travesty being debated by casuals and written about by know-nothing, editor-assigned, rent-a-boxing -writers would have been unbearable. For that I thank @Turki_alalshikh,” DiBella wrote on X.
Coppinger reported that Alvarez’s May fight in Saudi Arabia will serve as his tune-up fight for his September showdown with Terence Crawford, ESPN’s No. 2 pound-for-pound boxer.
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