What is Canelo really planning with Crawford and Jake Paul?

The rapid changes in Canelo Alvarez’s ring plans have made boxing fans continuously skeptical.

Earlier this week, the boxing world was abuzz with the news that Canelo Alvarez – the undisputed super middleweight champion – and Terence Crawford – the undisputed welterweight and junior welterweight champion – had reached an agreement to fight in September in the United States.

When details about the time, location, and weight class were revealed, The Ring magazine, owned by Turki Alalshikh, the Director of the Saudi Entertainment Authority – who also came up with the idea for the fight – unexpectedly announced that the matchup had been canceled. At the same time, news about Canelo potentially facing YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul spread. All of this unfolded within just a few days.

Despite the significant weight class difference between Crawford and Canelo, this fight was still seen as a “classic” in the boxing world since both are among the best fighters on the planet. On the other hand, Jake Paul is considered more of an entertainment matchup, as the 1997-born fighter has no remarkable achievements, except for recently defeating the 58-year-old Mike Tyson.

Continuing the chaos of conflicting information, yesterday on social media platform X, Turki Alalshikh once again demonstrated his powerful influence when he announced that he had signed a four-fight deal with Canelo. All of these fights will be part of the Riyadh Season project.

“Don’t mess with the lion. 4 fights for Canelo at Riyadh Season, the contract is signed. A lion doesn’t care about the bleating of the sheep.” – Turki Alalshikh’s account posted.

Super boss Turki Alalshikh and Canelo Alvarez

There are reports that the contract includes the fight between Canelo and Crawford in September in Las Vegas. Before that, the Mexican star will face Jake Paul in May. The final two fights are scheduled for February and October 2026.

In the comments section of the post, Terence Crawford continued to give hope to fans: “I’m waiting for Canelo in September, and I’ll shock the world at Riyadh Season.”

When the news of the cancellation of the Canelo vs. Crawford fight spread, there were speculations that Crawford would be set to face Jaron Ennis – the IBF welterweight champion, a title Crawford lost in November 2023 for failing to defend it against Ennis.

However, with the announcements from Turki Alalshikh, fans will have to continue waiting for more official information from the two boxing stars about their plans for this year.

DETAIL

Canelo Alvarez (35 years old, 62 wins – 2 losses – 2 draws in boxing, 39 knockouts) has retained his super middleweight titles (73kg – 76kg) after his victory over Edgar Berlanga last September. Except for the IBF belt, which he voluntarily relinquished in May, Canelo has never lost in this weight class after 10 fights for or defending his championship belts.

Terence Crawford (38 years old, 41 wins – 0 losses in boxing, 31 knockouts) is currently one of the undefeated champions in the boxing world, alongside other prominent figures such as Oleksandr Usyk, Artur Beterbiev, Naoya Inoue, and Gervonta Davis.