Joe Camporeale-Imagn ImagesJoe Camporeale-Imagn Images
Yesterday it appeared that a massive boxing match between Canelo Alvarez (62-2-2) and Jake Paul (11-1) was being finalized for May in Las Vegas. ESPN’s Mike Coppinger reported that the fight was in the final stages and just needed signatures to close the deal.
Canelo Alvarez and Jake Paul are in the process of finalizing a deal for a May 3 cruiserweight fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, sources told ESPN. The bout will take place at the 200-pound limit (Canelo is a champion at 168 pounds). It’s slated to be streamed on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/Kz0cVeNErg
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) February 7, 2025
The fight was set to be a cruiserweight matchup and it was going to be streamed on Netflix. However, at the 11th hour, the fight fell through. Coppinger broke the news last night that with the Jake Paul fight close to being finalized, Canelo had signed an exclusive deal with Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season causing the Paul fight to fall through.
In a stunning, 11th-hour development with the Jake Paul fight at the 1-yard line, Canelo Alvarez has instead closed a four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season to salvage the Terence Crawford mega fight in September.
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) February 7, 2025
The exclusive four-fight contract between Canelo and Riyadh Season will begin in May and it will run through the end of 2026. When it was announced that Canelo and Jake Paul were finalizing a contract to box in May, it was reported that the proposed fight between Canelo and fellow P4P star Terrance Crawford was off the table.
However, part of this exclusive deal is the two boxing greats will fight in September as originally planned.
Boxing’s Wild Week
It’s been a crazy week in the world of boxing. Earlier this week is when we found out that Canelo and Crawford would be fighting in September. However, after it appeared that the fight fell through, the Jake Paul fight became a real thing. There were agreements in place and all the logistics were setup. Everything just needed signatures and before Canelo could sign, Turki Alalshikh swooped in with an offer he couldn’t refuse.
Jake Paul is obviously not happy about this situation. In 2021, Jake Paul said that in a few years, he would be boxing Canelo Alvarez. Many (including myself) laughed at Jake Paul for making this insane claim. However, here we are in 2025 and the fight was 99% done. Paul took to Instagram to voice his frustrations regarding the situation.
