Terence Crawford has taken to social media for the first time since landing one of the biggest fights of the year.
Until late last night, it seemed that a deal was done for Jake Paul and Canelo Alvarez to meet in a Cinco de Mayo showdown. But at the eleventh hour, boxing supremo Turki Alalshikh made a new deal happen that would secure the super-middleweight champion’s future for the next four fights.
Instead of facing Paul in May, Alvarez will now take a tune-up fight in Riyadh before heading to Las Vegas in September to face pound-for-pound number one Crawford. He will then fight twice more in 2026 as part of a four-fight deal, leaving Paul in the cold in his search for a major fight.
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Terence Crawford snipes Canelo Alvarez fight from Jake Paul
As recently as a few hours ago, it was beginning to look as though Canelo Alvarez was going to make his long-awaited move to cruiserweight to face Jake Paul in an outlandish clash. The social media star has been calling for the fight for years, and it looked as though Netflix were going to land the fight.
However, as with everything else in boxing over the past few years, Turki Alalshikh had the final say. He has jumped in with a massive four-fight offer that will take the iconic multiple-weight champion to Riyadh three times in the next two years.
But the crown jewel of the deal is a September date in Las Vegas where Alvarez will face the current pound-for-pound king of boxing Terence Crawford. The super-welterweight champion will make a big jump in weight in order for the super-fight to happen, likely at Allegiant Stadium.
Terence Crawford speaks for the first time since Canelo Alvarez announcement
Immediately after the deal was made, Turki Alalshikh came to social media to announce that the big fight was on, as well as three Alvarez visits to Riyadh. He shared a video on X in which he described the details to fans, including the Las Vegas ‘big fight’.
“Don’t mess with the lion,” Alalshikh wrote in a tweet after the fact. “Four 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.”
And in the replies to one of the boxing supremo’s many tweets, Crawford broke his silence on the deal, telling fans: “I’m waiting on Canelo in September and going to shock the world in Riyadh Season!”
Canelo Alvarez reacts to news of Turki Alalshikh deal
For years, Alvarez has been able to resist the allure of big Saudi Arabian money and stuck with PBC’s efforts in America. But after meeting with Turki Alalshikh in London last month, it began to look as though he might be finally convinced.
However, a last-ditch effort from Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian’s Most Valuable Promotions, along with a Netflix deal, threatened his plans. It did seem that he was heading in the direction of a cruiserweight clash with the YouTuber, who last faced Mike Tyson, but they continued to deny a deal was done.
Alvarez has since taken to social media retweeting Alalshikh’s The Ring Magazine and made his own first comment, telling him: “Let’s go brother.”
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