Don’t expect a fight between Jake Paul and Canelo Álvarez anytime soon. Following the news that Álvarez dropped out of his expected May 3 fight with Paul to sign a four-fight deal with the Saudi Arabian-based Riyadh Season, the influencer has fired some serious shots at his former opponent.
“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 U.S. soil. It’s not surprising when his whole career he has done nothing for the sport of boxing outside the ring,” Paul wrote in a post on X on Friday. He went on to call himself “the new face of boxing” and emphasized that he’s “not owned.”
“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,” Paul added.
Most Valuable Productions, the boxing promotor company co-founded by Paul and Nakisa Bidarian, was “deep in negotiations” with Álvarez before the latter pulled out. The fight would have taken place Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas and was expected to land on Netflix, the home of Paul’s widely-watched fight with Mike Tyson.
“MVP operates with integrity, transparency and respect for the sport, its athletes and the fans. Unfortunately, not everyone in the boxing world shares those value,” a statement from MVP obtained by TheWrap read. “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 company remains in discussions with “multiple high-profile opponents.”
The change-up was announced by Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority. These upcoming four fights will mark the first time Álvarez will fight in Saudi Arabia’s capital. According to ESPN, Álvarez was told by chairman Alalshikh that if he accepted his fight with Paul, his Riyadh Season deal wouldn’t happen.
“Canelo only fights real fighters,” Alalshikh told ESPN.
The post Jake Paul Dubs Canelo Álvarez an ‘Owned Slave’ After Boxer Ditches Match for Saudi Arabia appeared first on TheWrap.
