In the world of boxing, there has been a whirlwind of events that have taken place in the last 17 hours. It seemed as if WBC, WBA, WBO, and the Ring’s Super Middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez was closing in on a deal to face social media sensation turned professional boxer Jake Paul. But at the last minute, Canelo signed a multi-fight contract with Riyadh Season and Turki Al-Sheikh.
Canelo will have one fight on May 3 before he faces WBA Super Welterweight Champion Terence Crawford at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 13. This fight will be for Canelo’s title at 168 pounds. Crawford has previously fought at 154 pounds, so he will be moving up multiple weight divisions for this bout.
Canelo’s new deal includes the third and fourth fights in February and October 2026. In May, Canelo will debut in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Alvarez last fought in September 2024, when he beat Edgar Berlanga by unanimous decision. He has won five straight fights since losing to Dmitrii Bivol in May 2022.
Crawford, 37, is 41-0 with 31 knockouts and is highly regarded as a top three pound-for-pound boxer in the world. Previously, he was the Undisputed Welterweight champion. But in August 2024, Crawford moved up to super welterweight to face Israil Madrimov. Crawford won that contest by unanimous decision.
