Canelo Alvarez may have used Jake Paul as leverage in some contract talks on Thursday.
There were conflicting reports throughout the day concerning Alvarez’s future. One report said that Alvarez was set to fight Paul in May in Las Vegas. That sounded somewhat silly since Alvarez is a real boxer, while Paul is a social media personality who has ventured into boxing over the last few years.
Here is the report that came from ESPN’s Mike Coppinger.
Canelo Alvarez and Jake Paul are in the process of finalizing a deal for a May 3 cruiserweight fight at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, sources told ESPN. The bout will take place at the 200-pound limit (Canelo is a champion at 168 pounds). It’s slated to be streamed on Netflix. pic.twitter.com/Kz0cVeNErg
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) February 7, 2025
But then, what’s that? Coppinger later reported there was a change at the last second, leading Alvarez to finalize a 4-fight deal in Saudi Arabia.
In a stunning, 11th-hour development with the Jake Paul fight at the 1-yard line, Canelo Alvarez has instead closed a four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh and Riyadh Season to salvage the Terence Crawford mega fight in September.
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) February 7, 2025
Wow, if someone didn’t know better, they would think Alvarez used Paul for leverage to get what he wanted out of Saudi fight negotiator Turki Alalshikh.
Alvarez’s four-fight deal will see him have a tune-up fight in May, face Bud Crawford in September and then fight twice in 2026.
Fight 2 will be against Terence Crawford on Sept. 13 in Las Vegas. Fight 3 is planned for February 2026, sources said, with three names on the table: Dmitry Bivol rematch, Hamzah Sheeraz and Chris Eubank Jr. Fight 4 planned for October 2026. https://t.co/ftYWmXFI0J
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) February 7, 2025
Alvarez likely used the threat of a Paul deal to help speed up a deal with the Saudis.
Alvarez, 34, is getting towards the end of his boxing career and likely looking to cash in as much as possible. His fight with Crawford will be a big one for the sport.
Alvarez is 62–2–2 and has won five fights in a row. He lost to Dmitry Bivol in 2022.
