With reports connecting him to both Terence Crawford and Jake Paul, Canelo Alvarez has had an eventful first week of February. However, the dust has finally seemed to settle, as Alvarez shockingly inked a new deal with Riyadh Season, led by the esteemed Turki Alalshikh, that keeps the Crawford fight on the table while shelving his bout with Paul.

The deal between Alvarez and Riyadh Season lasts four fights, all of which are already scheduled out, Alalshikh announced on social media. Riyadh Season plans to have Alvarez fight an unannounced opponent in May before facing Crawford on Sept. 13. Alalshikh then plans to have Alvarez fight twice more in 2026.

“Canelo and Riyadh in May — the big fight,” Alalshikh said in his announcement video. “[The biggest fight] in the history of boxing in September, then two more fights in 2026. Don't mess with the lion.”

Just days after Alvarez's bout with Crawford was announced, ESPN reported that the 34-year-old super middleweight champion would first face Paul on May 3. However, Alalshikh all but confirmed Alvarez would not face Paul while under contract with Riyadh Season, saying Alvarez “only fights real fighters,” per ESPN.

Upon inking his new deal, Alvarez admitted he did not actually want to subject himself to fighting Paul. He simply wanted an opponent to face in May before locking horns with Crawford in September. Paul presented the most lucrative offer that made the most sense to him at the time.

As of the Riyadh Season announcement, only one of Alvarez's four planned fights have a confirmed opponent. Alalshikh noted that he currently plans to hold the three non-Crawford bouts in Saudi Arabia, where Alvarez has never yet competed in his 66-fight career.

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Canelo Alvarez's next fight with Riyadh Season

Canelo Alvarez (red trunks) and Gennadiy Golovkin (white trunks) box during a super middleweight championship bout at T-Mobile Arena.
Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Alvarez's May opponent has yet to be determined but has been reportedly narrowed down to either Jermall Charlo or Bruno Surace. Alvarez fought Charlo's twin brother, Jermell Charlo, in September 2023, winning a dominant unanimous decision.

While Jermall Charlo would be the bigger fight on name value alone, he has not fought since beating Jose Benavidez Jr. in November 2023. Alvarez and Jermall Charlo were expected to face each other in 2024 before promotional negotiations intervened.

Surace is coming off a stunning sixth-round knockout of Jaime Munguia, who was coming off a loss to Alvarez. The fight was expected to be a tune-up for Munguia in his home country but ended up seeing Surace rise off the canvas to complete an unheralded comeback.

Alvarez last stepped into the ring in September 2024, when he strategically picked apart Edgar Berlanga. Since dropping a decision to light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol in May 2022, Alvarez has embarked on a five-fight win streak. He has dominated each of his opponents during that run across 12 rounds while barely breaking a sweat.