Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez admits he was “playing his cards” when talks for a Las Vegas spectacle against Jake Paul grabbed headlines this spring. The Mexican superstar used the hype as leverage before inking a mega‑money, four‑fight pact with Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season, beginning with a May 3 unification against Cuba’s unbeaten IBF title‑holder William Scull.
Canelo told Barstool Sports the Paul bout “would be an event, not a fight,” but “not for the moment.” Paul fired back on social media, branding him a “money‑hungry squirrel” and claiming signed contracts were shredded when Saudi millions arrived. The YouTuber‑turned‑boxer is now shopping for another summer opponent, while Canelo banks a reported $400 million package that could also include a September clash with Terence Crawford.
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The Riyadh opener is rich in irony. Last year the IBF stripped Canelo for declining Scull, forcing him to relinquish undisputed status. Scull claimed the vacant belt by out‑pointing Vladimir Shishkin and now gets the payday of his dreams - plus whatever respect a little‑known Cuban can pry from a legend in Riyadh.
Stylistically, Scull brings the slick, rangy Cuban school that once troubled Canelo against Erislandy Lara. The champion shrugs. “I’ve fought every style and can adapt to any style. This will be no exception,” he said, planning to arrive weeks early to acclimatize to Saudi heat and fulfil a new ambition: becoming boxing’s first two‑time undisputed super‑middleweight king.
For Canelo, the move is both business and bucket‑list. He fights outside North America for the first time, adds sovereign wealth to an already historic résumé, and keeps the door ajar for a crossover cash‑grab with Paul - someday. For now, the cards are dealt: the YouTube circus stays in Vegas, and the real show heads to the desert.