The past 24 hours has been an incredibly busy time to be a Canelo Alvarez fan following a major announcement on his future plans.
As one of the biggest stars in combat sports, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is always going to be involved in big fights. The Mexican icon has been praised in the past for seeking out the biggest challenges and taking on the fights that the fans want to see but this hasn’t necessarily been the same as of late.
Specifically in the case of David Benavidez, fans have been somewhat critical of Canelo for not stepping up to the plate to tackle the biggest threat out there head on.
This would have only increased following reports that a fight was on its way to being finalized between the 34-year-old and Jake Paul with Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas being the target.
- READ MORE: Mike Tyson has already made his feelings clear on Canelo Alvarez vs Terence Crawford fight
Turki Alalshikh makes his opinions clear on Canelo Alvarez fighting Jake Paul
Just as fans started to wrap their heads around the idea of seeing Canelo Alvarez take on Jake Paul, who beat a 58-year-old Mike Tyson in his last outing, the entire negotiation table was flipped on its head.
Alvarez’s career saw a huge pivot after it was announced that the biggest star in the sport had signed a deal for four fights with Riyadh Season.
This new direction will see Canelo fight twice this year in May and September and twice next year with bouts in February and October.
Three of those dates will bring the Mexican hero over to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia with the only exception being his huge super fight with Terrence Crawford which was previously believed to be off the table.
The dream matchup is currently pencilled in for September and it is the only opponent that has been named as part of the announcement.
With the Jake Paul fight now up in the air, Turki Alalshikh made his opinions on the fight crystal clear, making it known that a meeting between Canelo and ‘The Problem Child’ is not something that they would consider.
“Canelo fights only real fighters.”
Canelo Alvarez can win some of his detractors back over
Had the other plan come to fruition, Canelo Alvarez surely would have faced some stern criticism. Not only would the biggest fight of the year between him and Terrence Crawford now seemingly be dead, he would be taking on Jake Paul in a huge payday that is a total mismatch.
By committing to Riyadh Season and working alongside Turki Alalshikh, the fans will get the fights that they want to see and that’s a huge commitment from Canelo to once again put his money where his mouth is.
It’s been a rocky couple of days for his fans but there is a lot to be excited about going forward from this point on.