Canelo Alvarez is set to embark on the final chapter of his illustrious career with Riyadh Season.
The Mexican superstar was slated to be finalising terms for a crossover clash with YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in May.
But in a stunning eleventh-hour development, Canelo changed course and is now set to complete a four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh.
The chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority took to social media on Thursday evening to write: “Don’t mess with the lion … 4 fights for Canelo with Riyadh Season …
“The Deal is done … A Lion doesn’t lose sleep over opinion of a sheep… Fear the lion not the jungle.”
Alalshikh then posted a video on X, revealing certain aspects of Canelo’s four-fight plan.
The Saudi boxing chief revealed that Canelo will fight in May in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia before travelling to Las Vegas to compete in his usual September slot against Terence Crawford.
In 2026, he will then box in Riyadh again in February and October.
This revelation comes just 48 hours after Ring Magazine reported that the Canelo vs Crawford had fallen through following a lengthy negotiation period.
No reason was provided for the breakdown in communication but we now know that they are close to agreeing terms.
Alalshikh didn’t mention any other opponents outside of Crawford.
However, ESPN’s Mike Coppinger has reported a list of names that could box Canelo over his next four fights.
According to Coppinger, Canelo’s Riyadh Season debut will be staged on Sunday morning, May 4, to accommodate for a prime-time Saturday, May 3 US broadcast slot.
The two names up for consideration are Jermall Charlo and Bruno Surace.
Former two-weight world champion Jermall (33-0), twin brother of Jermall Charlo who Canelo defeated soundly in September 2023, hasn’t competed since November 2023 due to a battle with mental health.
Surace (26-0-2) burst onto the scene last year by knocking out Jaime Munguia in December in a major upset.
The May tuneup will prepare Canelo for a super fight with Crawford at super middleweight four months later.
Crawford (41-0) is ranked No.3 on the Ring Magazine pound-for-pound list and is one of only three male boxers to achieve undisputed supremacy in two separate weight classes during the four-belt era.
For Canelo’s third fight (February 2026) there are several options on the table.
A rematch with Dmitry Bivol (23-1), who beat Canelo in May 2022 in a WBA light-heavyweight title clash, is one such option.
Meanwhile, dust-ups with British stars Hamzah Sheeraz and Chris Eubank Jr are also up for consideration.
Sheeraz (21-0) is set to face Carlos Adames on February 22 for the WBC middleweight title and is a Riyadh Season ambassador.
Eubank Jr (34-3) was in negotiations to face Canelo last year, however, his promoter Ben Shalom informed talkSPORT.com that talks collapsed after they couldn’t reach a number that ‘Next Gen’ felt was acceptable.
