Former undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez may have landed a lucrative four-fight deal with Riyadh Season, but even that hasn’t spared him from scrutiny. Despite agreeing to face the opponent fans have been demanding—Terence Crawford—questions still linger. You must be wondering who’s upset with the deal.
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You see, Canelo is currently slated to appear in the ring opposite IBF super middleweight champion William Scull on May 3rd in Riyadh for the undisputed status. This will act as a tune-up fight for Canelo before he puts it all on the line against Terence Crawford on September 13th in Allegiant Stadium in Sin City.
Regardless, TV presenter and commentator Ade Oladipo seems to think there are issues with the deal. While appearing in an interview with DAZN Boxing featuring MMA journalist Ariel Helwani, Oladipo raised an interesting question. “This four-fight deal is fantastic.” Oladipo began. “If Crawford beats him—are we really interested in Bivol? Are we really interested in Benavidez?”
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – SEPTEMBER 14: WBC/WBA/WBO super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez poses for a photo with referee Harvey Dock after Alvarez’s won a title fight by unanimous decision against Edgar Berlanga, not pictured, at T-Mobile Arena on September 14, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)
Oladipo feels the deal comes with a lot of conditions, and it heavily depends upon Canelo winning against Crawford. “It feels like this deal comes with asterisks—if you beat him, if you beat him, if you beat him,” he said during the interview. While Oladipo made a valid point, a loss to Crawford wouldn’t diminish the importance of Canelo’s other potential matchups.
While Canelo is taking a huge risk by fighting Terence Crawford, Dana White is trolling Jake Paul.
Dana White gets the last laugh after Canelo Alvarez leaves Jake Paul in a tailspin
Dana White didn’t miss the chance to mock Jake Paul after the YouTuber-turned-boxer’s biggest fight fell apart. Paul had been in advanced talks to fight Canelo Alvarez, but Saudi Arabian chairman Turki Alalshikh swooped in, signing Alvarez to a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season. With that, Paul’s hopes of facing the undisputed champion were crushed.
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UFC CEO Dana White | via Imago
White addressed the situation at the UFC 312 post-fight press conference, highlighting Saudi Arabia’s growing influence in boxing. “They control the sport of boxing right now,” White said. “I don’t think it’s hard for them to steal anyone from anybody… Totally different levels there!”
Paul, who has long criticized White and the UFC’s fighter pay structure, now finds himself without a marquee opponent. While he has yet to respond to White’s comments, this latest setback puts his boxing career in limbo, and White seems to be enjoying every second of it.
That said, does Canelo’s four-fight deal have some issues? Absolutely not! Nobody signs a deal thinking if they lose, nobody would want to fight them, especially Canelo. And in case he does lose to Crawford, they will have a rematch and possibly a trilogy. But what do you think?
Written by
Edited by
Gokul Pillai