Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez was in serious talks to face Jake Paul before signing a deal with Riyadh Season.
The 34-year-old from Guadalajara, Mexico currently holds the unified WBC, WBA and WBO super middleweight titles, having dominated the division ever since he captured the undisputed championship with a win over Caleb Plant in 2021.
It was speculated that his next outing would be against the YouTuber turned boxing sensation. However in a hectic 24 hours, where reports claimed the fight was ‘done’, Turki Alalshikh announced that he had signed Canelo to a four fight deal, which will see three bouts take place in Saudi Arabia and one in Las Vegas against Terence Crawford in September.
‘The Problem Child’ made the move into professional boxing in 2020, winning 11 of his 12 contests during his campaign. His most recent victory came against heavyweight icon Mike Tyson last November, which he won in an eight round contest at the AT&T Stadium in Texas.
Speaking on ‘The Breakfast Club’, Canelo said a fight between the two ‘wouldn’t last long’ and that he might even play with the 28-year-old.
“Not that Long. Maybe [first round], not long. Yeah [I might play with him a little], I think people would enjoy it. ”
Canelo will now fight in May with an opponent expected to be announced shortly before taking on Crawford later in the year.
