Al Bello/Getty Images for Netflix © 2024
Jake Paul made his first public comments Friday since Canelo Álvarez spurned the opportunity to fight him in favor of a four-fight agreement with Riyadh Season.
In a post on X, Paul took multiple shots at Canelo, writing:
“Breaking news: Canelo Álvarez ducked me. … 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. Twenty-eight years old. Biggest fight in boxing history. My own boss. Not owned. Five 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.”
Per ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, a deal between Paul and Álvarez was being finalized Thursday for a May 3 fight between them in Las Vegas that would have streamed live on Netflix, but Canelo reversed course and made the Riyadh Season deal instead.
Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions released an official statement on the matter Friday, noting that Paul remains in negotiations with “multiple high-profile opponents.”
Kevin Iole @KevinI
Statement from <a href=”https://twitter.com/jakepaul?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@jakepaul</a> on the <a href=”https://twitter.com/Canelo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Canelo</a> Riyadh Season deal with <a href=”https://twitter.com/Turki_alalshikh?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>@Turki_alalshikh</a> <a href=”https://t.co/DDSZGiJXpW”>pic.twitter.com/DDSZGiJXpW</a>
Turki Alalshikh, who is the chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, announced the deal with Canelo on Thursday night, sending shockwaves through the boxing world.
Per Coppinger, Alalshikh told Álvarez that his three-fight deal with Riyadh Season was off if he took the fight with Paul. Álvarez reportedly said that he didn’t want to fight Paul, but needed a fight in May, which resulted in Alalshikh and Álvarez adding a fourth fight to the Riyadh Season agreement.
The first bout of the Riyadh Season deal is reportedly set for May 4 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Jermall Charlo and Bruno Surace are reportedly both options for Canelo’s opponent in that fight.
Assuming Canelo wins his May fight, it will set the stage for a showdown with the undefeated Terence Crawford in Las Vegas on Sept. 13.
The 34-year-old Álvarez is among the most accomplished boxers in the sport, as he owns a 62-2-2 career record with his only losses coming against Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Dmitry Bivol.
Canelo has held world titles across four different weight classes, and he was the first-ever undisputed super middleweight champ.
Conversely, the 28-year-old Paul is best known as a social media star who first tried his hand at boxing in 2018 in an amateur bout.
Paul made his professional debut in 2020 and has since compiled an 11-1 record with seven wins by way of knockout.
While Paul has clearly improved over time, he has often been criticized for his level of competition, as he has primarily gone up against former UFC fighters and low-level boxers.
Paul beat former MMA fighters such as Ben Askren, Tyron Woodley, Anderson Silva and Nate Diaz. His first and only loss to date came against a legitimate boxer in Tommy Fury, who is the younger brother of former heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
The most recent fight Paul competed in was his biggest, as he took on former world heavyweight champ Mike Tyson in a bout that streamed live on Netflix in November.
Paul won by unanimous decision, as the 58-year-old Tyson struggled to find his footing and had wobbly legs for much of the fight.
Canelo would have represented a massive step up in competition for Paul. While Paul would have had a clear size advantage, Álvarez is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world.
Instead, Canelo has decided to continue competing against more traditional boxing opponents, which clearly isn’t sitting well with Paul.
