Whirlwind deal making ends with Canelo, Turki agreement, no Paul
But there will be bout vs. Scull in Riyadh in May, Crawford in September in Las Vegas, then two more bouts in Saudi Arabia; Jake lashes out
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It’s been a whirlwind few days in the Canelo Alvarez/Terence Crawford/Jake Paul saga but here we are:
No, Alvarez, the unified super middleweight champion and boxing’s biggest star, won’t be fighting Paul, despite apparently having been on the verge of a deal to fight on May 3.
Yes, Alvarez has struck a four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh, the head of Riyadh Season and Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, that will begin on May 3 in Riyadh against IBF super middleweight titleholder William Scull that would result in Alvarez once again having undisputed status with a victory.
Yes, the four-fight deal includes a September fight with pound-for-pound star Crawford, the four-division champion and the reigning WBA junior middleweight titlist, assuming Alvarez defeats heavy underdog Scull.
Crawford, who won’t fight before September, will move up two weight classes to challenge Alvarez in Las Vegas. A Crawford upset victory would give him the undisputed super middleweight title and make him the first male boxer to become an undisputed champion in three divisions in the four-belt era, having already done so at welterweight and junior welterweight.
Using social media, Alalshikh announced the agreement: “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 responded to the announcement with “Let’s go brother.”
Alalshikh later was more specific about the first fight of the deal: “The legend Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will fight William Scull in undisputed fight in Riyadh on the 3rd of May.”
Assuming Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) 34, of Mexico, wins, he would face Crawford on Sept. 13 — Mexican Independence Day weekend — in Las Vegas with the third and fourth fights of the deal against opponents to be determined in Riyadh in February 2026 and October 2026.
Got all of that? Here is how it unfolded: