Jake Paul issues furious response to ‘owned slave’ Canelo Alvarez after fight collapse

Jake Paul’s promotional company has issued a statement slamming Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez after a chaotic U-turn from the Mexican superstar saw their proposed fight called off.

In a wild sequence of events that rocked the boxing world on Thursday, news emerged that a proposed meeting between pound-for-pound kings Canelo and Terrence Crawford in September was off despite promising talks.

Matchroom chief Eddie Hearn claimed the reason behind the collapse was that Canelo had found a new opponent in Paul.

‘The Problem Child’ has spent years calling out Canelo, one of the best fighters on the planet, with ESPN reporting the two had agreed to collide on 3 May in Las Vegas with a formal announcement imminent.

But in another stunning development, it was announced late on Thursday that Canelo had signed a hugely lucrative four-fight deal with Riyadh Season with Saudi’s boxing chief Turki Alalshikh confirming the news.

That four-fight deal will start with a bout in Saudi in May with the Crawford fight, perhaps the most anticipated in boxing, back on for September.

It leaves Paul out in the cold with the American superstar not part of Saudi’s plans with Alalshikh taunting him with the comment: ‘Canelo only fights real fighters.’

In a statement released on Friday, Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions confirmed they were ‘deep in negotiations’ with Canelo’s team before things went awry.

Paul’s promotion company also hit out at the Mexican, parties with ‘hidden agenda’ and ‘promoters who have reporters on their payroll’.

‘MVP was deep in negotiations for a blockbuster fight between Jake Paul and Canelo Alvarez on Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas, a massive event for the Mexican, Puerto Rican and American fans, and it’s disappointing to see how the situation unfolded,’ the statement said.

‘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 who have reporters on their payroll.

‘We remain in active discussions with multiple high-profile opponents and are committed to delivering the biggest fights, 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.’

Paul also issued a personal response via his Twitter account, accusing Canelo, boxing’s only undisputed super-middleweight champion, of ‘ducking him’.

‘Breaking news: Canelo Alvarez ducked me Jake Paul and is now an owned slave with no regard for the pride of the Mexican people who support him on US soil,’ he wrote.

‘it’s not surprising when his whole career he has done nothing for the sport of boxing outside the ring. I’m the new face of boxing. You cannot have the biggest fight of 2025 without my name involved. When all of your events tank and lose money you will all realize who the king of the sport is. 28 years old. Biggest fight in boxing history. My own boss. Not owned. 5 years in. All of you felines want to see me fail, but god has other plans. It’s the era of good.  The era of the elephant. It’s the era of MVP.’