Jake Paul has torn into Canelo Alvarez for ‘ducking him’ after the Mexican superstar pulled the plug on their crossover clash.
It was reported on Thursday night that Canelo was finalising a deal to square off against YouTuber-turned-boxer Paul on May 3 in Las Vegas.
But in a stunning eleventh-hour U-turn, Canelo walked away from negotiations to sign a lucrative four-fight deal with Riyadh Season.
Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh took to social media on Thursday evening to announce the news, writing: “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.”
Bruno Surace and Jermall Charlo are now the frontrunners to face the former pound-for-pound king in May while discussions over a September showdown with Terence Crawford have re-ignited.
Hardcore boxing fans will be rejoicing at the news but Paul is understandably furious.
“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,” he wrote on X.
“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.
Warning: explicit language
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“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 then hit back at Canelo’s claim that he ‘only fights real fighters’ by posting a video purporting to show a signed contract for their proposed £200million bout.
He said: “Time to expose him. So we had a signed contract to fight. Here you can see Canelo’s signature and my signature to the right.
“Claiming he’s not fighting YouTubers, bulls***, look at the poster. We were announcing Tuesday, February 11th. Claiming he fights real fighters but he’s fighting Crawford, a 135lb fighter, and running from a real fighter like David Benavidez, you b****.
“You’re a money-hungry squirrel chasing your next nut. The truth is, these sports-washing shady characters are paying you 100’s millions of dollars to stop our fight from happening because they couldn’t fathom the fact that they can’t create a bigger fight than me and you.”
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Most Valuable Promotions (MVP), the boxing promotion founded by Paul, also released a statement on the saga.
“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,” the statement read.
“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.”
It’s been a whirlwind few days in the boxing world.
48 hours ago, Ring Magazine reported that Canelo-Crawford was off, only for Alalshikh to strike a deal with the former undisputed super middleweight champion and salvage the fight that fans are clambering for.
In a video released to social media, Alalshikh declared that Canelo will return to the ring in May in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
He is then expected to fight again in September against Crawford in Las Vegas, followed by two Riyadh fights in February 2026 and October 2026.
British boxing stars Hamzah Sheeraz and Chris Eubank Jr are reportedly up for consideration as potential Canelo opponents next year, as is Dmitry Bivol, who defeated the 34-year-old in 2022.
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