The much-discussed Canelo Alvarez vs Jake Paul fight is no longer happening. This Thursday, Alvarez shocked the world by announcing a four-fight deal in the Saudi Arabian region. The announcement killed the entertainment deal that Paul and Netflix had been finessing, which hoped to emulate Paul's fight against Mike Tyson. The event quickly became one of the most notorious and successful streaming events of 2024.
"Canelo only fights real fighters," said Turki Alalshikh, the chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, to ESPN. The comment appeared to be a dig at Paul, who began his career as a YouTuber and influencer.
The first fight of Canelo's deal with Saudi Arabia is slated to take place on May 4th, one day after his proposed fight with Paul, which would have been held in Las Vegas. ESPN reports that some of the opponents that are being considered are Jermall Charlo and Bruno Surace.
Paul's company Most Valuable Productions shared a statement addressing Canelo's fight.
“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,” read the statement. “MVP operates with integrity, transparency, and respect for the sport, its athletes, and the fans."
“Unfortunately, not everyone in the boxing world shares those values.”
Paul shared a fiery statement on social media
For his part, Paul shared a statement on social media, accompanied by some AI-generated images of himself and Canelo fighting in the ring, with Paul emerging victorious. "I’m the new face of boxing. You cannot have the biggest fight of 2025 without my name involved," he wrote.
"When all of your events tank and lose money you will all realize who the king of the sport is."