Boxing

Jake Paul Hints at Turki Alalshikh Change of Heart on Canelo Alvarez Fight

It sounds like Jake Paul. vs. Canelo Alvarez could become a reality once again.
Grant Young|
IMAGO / Goal Sports Images

Ever since news broke that Jake Paul's November 14 bout against Gervonta "Tank" Davis was cancelled due to a domestic violence lawsuit filed against Davis at the end of October, Paul has been scrambling to find a new opponent.

Paul's team has made it clear that, while the initial November 14 date is now off the table, they still fully intend for Paul to headline a Netflix card by the end of 2025. December 12 and December 19 appear to be the most likely dates for this fight to take place.

However, given the high standard Netflix has set with its previous boxing events, they aren't going to settle for Paul fighting against some no-name boxer. This is why Paul has reportedly reached out to several of the sport's biggest names to see if they'd be willing to face him next month. These include Terence Crawford, Ryan Garcia, Francis Ngannou, and MMA legend Nate Diaz. I

It's too early to tell which (if any) of these guys will sign up to fight Paul and whether they'd do so in December. But one can't fault Paul for trying.

Jake Paul fights against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. on June 28, 2025
Jun 28, 2025; Anaheim, California, USA; Jake Paul fights against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. at Honda Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images | Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

Jake Paul's Stance on Potential Canelo Alvarez Fight Turns Heads

It was interesting to see that Paul didn't reportedly reach out to Canelo Alvarez's team to potentially fill in. Then again, not only is Canelo still on the mend from elbow surgery after his September loss to Terence Crawford, but he and Paul were deep in fight negotiations earlier this year before Canelo pivoted at the last minute and signed a four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh instead.

Turki was very opposed to Canelo fighting Paul as one of those four fights, which is why Canelo pivoted. However, a comment Paul made about potentially facing Canelo in the future from a November 6 ESPN article suggests Turki Alalshikh might have changed his mind.

"I think Turki is the man who can make it happen," Paul said of fighting Canelo. "I'm open to it, Turki has expressed some interest in it, and, obviously, Canelo had already signed up to fight me, so I think all that is left to do is to make it happen."

Canelo vs Crawford
Canelo vs Crawford | IMAGO / Hoganphotos

The fact that Turki "has expressed some interest" in making this fight happen is a complete change of heart compared to how he felt about Paul vs. Canelo (and Paul in general) earlier this year.

Paul is right in saying that Turki has more than enough influence to make this fight happen, which means this once nearly-finalized fight could come to fruition as soon as 2026.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young is a Staff Writer for On SI’s Boxing, New York Mets, Indiana Fever, and Women’s Fastbreak sites. Before joining SI in 2024, he wrote for various boxing and sports verticals such as FanBuzz and NY Fights. Young has a bachelor’s degree in marketing and a master’s degree in creative writing with an emphasis on sports nonfiction from the University of San Francisco, where he played five seasons of Division 1 baseball. He fought Muay Thai professionally in Thailand in 2023, loves a good essay, and is driven crazy trying to handle a pitpull puppy named Aura. Young lives in San Diego and was raised in the San Francisco Bay Area.