Canelo vs Paul Fight Off After Canelo Signs Riyadh Deal
Canelo Alvarez was scheduled to fight against Jake Paul on May 3 in Las Vegas. However, Alvarez changed his mind and signed with Riyadh Season for a four-fight deal. Thus, the Canelo vs Paul fight will not happen.
On Thursday night, Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki Alalshikh confirmed an agreement with boxing superstar Paco Alvarez, officially ending the novelty match between Paul and Alvarez, set to air on Netflix. Canelo will now make his professional boxing debut in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
Alalshikh supposedly informed Alvarez that his lucrative, previously agreed-upon three-fight agreement with Riyadh Season was off the table if the bout with Paul went ahead. According to sportsbook pay per head experts, Alvarez clarified that he was not interested in fighting a YouTuber but needed a fight in May. Alvarez and Alalshikh swiftly finalized the agreement, surprising the boxing community with the addition of a fourth fight.
Canelo vs Paul Nixed, Four Fights in Riyadh Set
According to insiders, the agreement’s initial bout will take place on May 4th in the early morning hours. This will allow Alvarez to have a prime-time U.S. broadcast on May 3rd, during Cinco de Mayo weekend. According to reports, Bruno Surace and Jermall Charlo are two potential opponents.
In September 2023, Jermell, who is Charlo’s twin, lost by knockout to Alvarez in a lopsided decision. The December Upset of the Year bout was Surace’s knockout victory over previous champion Jaime Munguia in the seventh round, as reported by ESPN.
According to sports news reports, the May fight will be a warmup for Alvarez’s megafight with Terence Crawford at Las Vegas’s Allegiant Stadium on September 13. According to ESPN’s earlier reporting, Alvarez is set to defend his 168-pound championship against Crawford, the unbeaten American moving up two weight classes from 154 pounds. 37-year-old Crawford ranks second on ESPN’s pound-for-pound boxer list.
Crawford vs Alvarez
Crawford, who had previously held the unofficial welterweight title, had a career-best performance in July 2023, stopping Errol Spence Jr. in the ninth round with a technical knockout. In August, he won the 154-pound championship in a Riyadh Season event in Los Angeles, his lone fight at that weight class. His opponent was Israil Madrimov.
At 34 years old, Alvarez holds the WBA, WBC, and IBF super middleweight belts. He is also ranked as the number five fighter in ESPN’s pound-for-pound ranking. In 2024, he fought and won four division titles against Munguia and Edgar Berlanga. Planning for Alvarez’s 2026 campaign has begun with completing his 2025 timetable.
In February 2026, he will fight for the third time as part of his deal in Riyadh. Rumor has it that he is considering a rematch with Dmitry Bivol, whom he has lost to twice in his career (the other was against Floyd Mayweather in 2023). He may also face Hamzah Sheeraz, who challenges Carlos Adames for the WBC middleweight title on February 22, or Chris Eubank Jr., a middleweight contender.
According to pay per head reviews and news sites, the fourth fight of the agreement is reportedly scheduled for Riyadh in October 2026. As anyone knows, Alvarez has never boxed in a tournament outside North America (62-2-2, 39 KOs).
As the deal to fight Paul—an 11-1 boxer who became famous as a social media celebrity turned fighter—got closer to being finalized, it seemed like he would fight again in Las Vegas. Despite his lack of experience, Paul is one of the most popular boxing attractions at 28. Peaked at 64 million concurrent views on Netflix, his bout with 58-year-old Mike Tyson in November—a victory for Paul by an eight-round decision—was an incredible event.
