Canelo Álvarez won’t box Jake Paul on Cinco de Mayo weekend: He ‘only fights real fighters’
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Canelo Álvarez had a decision. Fight novelty act and undisputed cash cow Jake Paul or agree to a multi-fight deal with Riyadh Season under the auspices of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority.
Álvarez, a Mexican icon who has won 17 world titles in four weight divisions, opted for Riyadh Season on Thursday evening when GEA chairman Turki Alalshikh agreed to add a fourth bout to the deal that would effectively replace the proposed fight against Paul, which was tentatively scheduled for May 3 in Las Vegas and likely would have been streamed on Netflix.
It was the only decision any self-respecting boxer of Álvarez’s caliber could have made, surprising only Paul, last seen trading punches with 58-year-old Mike Tyson while netting a gate of $18,117,072.
Paul blasted Álvarez in an X post, suggesting that the popular champion betrayed his heritage by agreeing to a deal with the General Entertainment Authority, a Saudi government entity that according to its website, “advances the entertainment sector in the Kingdom and provides recreational opportunities for all segments of society in all regions to enrich lives, spread joy, and excite the private sector to build and develop entertainment activities.”
Jake Paul is in high demand as a boxing opponent after his record-breaking bout with Mike Tyson on Netflix. MVP co-founder Nakisa Bidarian talks about what comes next.
In other words, the GEA works hand-in-glove with the Saudi Public Investment Fund that owns LIV Golf and other deep pockets to expand into an array of global sports by investing megamillions.
“Canelo Álvarez 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,” Paul posted on X, adding that “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.”
Most Valuable Promotions, the company Paul co-founded with Nakisa Bidarian in 2021, began its statement about Álvarez pulling out of the bout with a less reproachful tone, saying “MVP was deep in negotiations for a blockbuster fight between Jake Paul and Canelo Álvarez 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.
MVP then apparently took aim at the Saudi entity and Alalshikh, who told ESPN that “Canelo only fights real fighters.”
“Unfortunately, not everyone in the boxing world shares those values,” the MVP statement continued. “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.
Seemingly everyone — Canelo Álvarez, Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia and Roy Jones Jr. — wants to fight Jake Paul after the influencer beat a 58-year-old Mike Tyson.
“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.”
Meanwhile, Álvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) will be fighting actual boxers. His initial bout under his new contract — on Cinco de Mayo weekend but held in Riyadh — could be against a lesser opponent such as Jermall Charlo or Bruno Surace to ease him into a highly anticipated match against Terence Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) on Sept. 13 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Crawford, 37, responded to Alalshikh’s announcement of Álvarez’s deal with an X post: “I’m waiting on Canelo in September and going to shock the world in Riyadh Season.”
Álvarez’s third and fourth fights would take place in 2026 in Riyadh. A rematch with Dmitry Bivol, who defeated Canelo in 2022, has been discussed, but all that is certain is that neither bout will be against Paul.
The barbs Canelo Álvarez and Oscar De la Hoya traded helped bring energy to Álvarez’s Cinco de Mayo weekend fight against quiet boxer Jaime Munguia.
As for the social media announcement by Alalshikh, chairman of Riyadh Season, he opted for jungle metaphors rather than corporate speak: “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.”
To which Álvarez replied, “Let’s go brother.”
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