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Jake Paul released a statement after a claimed fight with Canelo Alvarez fell apart due to a far more attractive offer from Turki Alalshikh.
Reports stated that Paul and Canelo were in serious negotiations to fight on May 3, a notion that many find hard to fathom at this stage of the latter Mexican superstar’s career.
However, Paul and his team, Most Valuable Promotions, ratified talks as WBN speculated that Canelo used the YouTuber to make Alalshikh dig deeper into his pockets. Whatever the situation was, Canelo got what we wanted and has a lucrative four-fight deal with Riyadh Season, which WBN understands is worth over $200 million.
Unhappy with how things turned out for him, the influencer boxer and his MVP brand released a statement to World Boxing News.
“MVP was deep in negotiations for a blockbuster fight between Jake Paul and Canelo Alvarez on Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas,” they claimed. “[It was] a massive event for the Mexican, Puerto Rican, and American fans, and it’s disappointing to see how the situation unfolded.
“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.
“This situation is a reminder not to believe everything you read, especially when the current media environment is often controlled by those with hidden agendas, including promoters with reporters on their payroll.”
On what might be next for the former Disney child actor, they added, “We remain in active discussions with multiple high-profile opponents and are committed to delivering the biggest fights and the most exciting events and to working with partners who share our values and our commitment to boxing and its fighters.
“Jake Paul isn’t going anywhere, and neither is MVP. We’ll continue to disrupt boxing – on our terms.”
Canelo will fight on May 3 at the Kingdom Arena in Saudi Arabia before a massive showdown with Terence Crawford on September 13. The super middleweight king will then open Riyadh Season in 2026 before returning in October that same year for the final bout of his contract.
Regarding Paul, where he thinks Canelo actually wanted to fight him in 2025 will be a question for him to ponder in the immediate future.
To console his loss, plenty of over fifty-year-old heavyweights out there would probably accept his offer.
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Read all articles and exclusive interviews by Phil Jay. Learn more about the author, experienced boxing writer, and World Boxing News Editor since 2010. Follow on Twitter @PhilJWBN and Quora.
