Jake Paul has claimed that Canelo Alvarez “ducked” him after the Mexican star pulled out of a deal with him.
After looking for weeks like he’d fight Terence Crawford in September, Canelo switched his attention to a stunning clash with YouTuber-turned-boxer, Paul and was closing in on a May 3 bout in Las Vegas, which would have taken place at cruiserweight and likely been streamed by Netflix, as reported by ESPN.
However, Alvarez made a dramatic U-turn late on Thursday, signing a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season, a contract which includes a September showdown with Crawford and does not feature ’The Problem Child’, who has not fought since a record-breaking bout with Mike Tyson in November.
An angry Paul took to social media on Friday to vent his frustrations at not sealing a deal with Alvarez, who has been top of his hitlist since entering the sport five years ago.
“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,” the 28-year-old posted 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.
“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.”
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With Paul no longer part of his plans, Alvarez will instead return to the ring in Saudi Arabia in May, defending his unified super middleweight titles against Jermall Charlo or Bruno Surace.
Prior to discussions with the Ohio man, Ring Magazine reported on Tuesday that a Canelo-Crawford fight would take place at the Allegiant Stadium, the home of the Las Vegas Raiders.
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Turki Alalshikh, Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, brokered the deal for Canelo having met up with both him and Crawford in London last month.
“Canelo [will fight] in Riyadh in May,” Alalshikh said in a video posted on his social media.
“The big fight in the history of boxing [against Crawford] in September.
“Then two more fights in 2026.
“Don’t mess with the Lion.”
