YouTube sensation-turned-pugilist has finally spoken out following the and has accused the 34-year-old of 'ducking' him. The scrapping of this dream match is a major setback for 'The Problem Child', who was keen on facing off against the Mexican legend.
On Thursday evening, it emerged that 'Saul' had penned a lucrative four-fight contract with Riyadh Season, which includes a September face-off with Terence Crawford. Turki Alalshikh, the Saudi boxing honcho, triumphantly declared: "Don't mess with the lion ... 4 fights for Canelo with Riyadh Season ... The Deal is done ... A Lion doesn't lose sleep over opinion of a sheep... Fear the lion not the jungle."
Alvarez's agenda involves a May opponent yet to be unveiled in Saudi Arabia, followed by a clash with Crawford in Las Vegas come autumn. Two additional bouts in Saudi Arabia are slated for next year. Alvarez responded with enthusiasm to Alalshikh's proclamation on social media, stating, "Let's go brother."
It's fair to say that 'Saul's' team-up with His Excellency has infuriated 'The Problem Child' - so much that he's even decided to hit out at the 34-year-old on X - formerly known as Twitter. "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 post began.
"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 @MostVpromotions."
In a recent press release, a spokesperson for Most Valuable Promotions confirmed that the promotion were in talks with Alvarez's team regarding a potential clash with Paul, before insisting that they are currently in talks with 'multiple high-profile' opponents ahead of Jake's return. 'MVP was deep in negotiations for a blockbuster fight between Jake Paul and Canelo Alvarez on Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas, a massive event for the Mexican, Puerto Rican and American fans, and it's disappointing to see how the situation unfolded," the statement began.
"This situations is a reminder not to believe everything you read, especially when the current media environment is often controlled by those with agendas, including promoters who have reporters on their payroll. We remain in active discussions with multiple high-profile opponents and are committed to delivering the biggest fights, the most exciting events, and to working with partners who share our values and our commitment to boxing and its fighters. Jake Paul isn't going anywhere, and neither is MVP. We'll continue to disrupt boxing, on our terms."
The major bombshell dropped just hours after ESPN broke the news that 'Saul' was initially scheduled to lock horns with Paul on May 3 in Las Vegas; sources were quoted saying a deal had been nearing completion, with an official announcement on the horizon. In a surprising turn of events, the reigning super-middleweight champion has inked a lucrative deal with Riyadh Season.There have been so many twists and turns throughout the course of the week as reports originally stated that Alvarez's clash with Crawford was off the cards. This came after rumours then began to circulate regarding a dust-up between Paul and the Mexican after boxing journalist Julius Julianis revealed that the pair agreed to go head-to-head in May for a Cinco de Mayo event. Julianis wrote the proposed Paul vs. Alvarez fight will be co-promoted by Most Valuable Promotions, Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), and Canelo Promotions. Paul is now on the look out for a new opponent.
The American hasn't fought since defeating Mike Tyson back in November. The 28-year-old took to social media earlier this week to reveal the exact date and location ahead of his next bout - which completely contradicted the initial Alvarez fight reports. He wrote: "It's time. Sat July 5 New York, New York."
Despite the confusion, a future clash with Canelo remains a possibility, as boxing promoter Eddie Hearn suggested that the Mexican superstar is not opposed to the idea if the financial reward is sufficient. Speaking to Matchroom Boxing, Hearn revealed: "Whenever I've spoken to Saul (Canelo) about Jake Paul, he's always gone 'pay me the money and I'll fight him.' Saul is so transparent, that's why I love dealing with Canelo. Zero bulls***... give him the money and he'll fight. That's it!" He added: "So he looks at Jake Paul and goes 'yeah you want to pay me the money, I'll fight him.' I don't like a lot of things that Jake Paul has done, if he fights Canelo Alvarez, and obviously, the main reason why he's doing it is for a lot of money... I'll watch it! I would love to watch it, and by the way, respect. Because if you (Paul) go in there, you're fighting a pound-for-pound great. I don't know what they're going to do about weight, Jake's a big lump. Maybe Canelo is going to have to give up 10/ 15lbs, it's not going to matter, but I would watch it."
