Jake Paul’s fight with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr wasn’t the original plan, as the YouTuber planned to face a four-weight champion instead.
Julio Cesar Chavez Jr will battle Jake Paul on June 28 as the YouTube star continues his impressive boxing career.
Fresh off Paul’s victory over Mike Tyson in 2024, he will be hoping to add another former world champion to his list of victories by stopping Chavez Jr in their highly anticipated bout.
However, he was the second choice for Paul after one of the biggest boxing contracts ever ruined his original plan for the fight.
Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty ImagesJake Paul’s fight with Canelo Alvarez was planned to take place on May 3
The fight between Paul and Canelo Alvarez was planned to take place less than a year after his last fight.
The four-weight champion was coming off a title defense against Edgar Berlanga, while Paul was flying high due to his win over Tyson a few months later.
Paul called out Canelo even before his match with Tyson, vowing to become the “face of boxing” by beating the four-weight champion.
The pair was in conversation to face off on May 3, 2025. Paul even leaked a supposed contract the pair signed, indicating the fight was incredibly close to taking place.
Paul vs Canelo was to be announced on February 11, but a last-minute intervention from Turki Al-Sheikh, the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority, put a stop to the fight.
He is heavily involved with Riyadh Season, which handed Canelo one of the biggest contracts ever seen to skip the Paul fight and ply his trade in Saudi Arabia.
Canelo signed a $400 million contract that ruined negotiations to fight Jake Paul
Just days before the planned announcement of Canelo’s fight with Paul, the Mexican boxing great penned a five-fight deal with Riyadh Season.
It was initially reported as a four-fight deal, but the five-fight deal included four bouts in Saudi Arabia with a single one taking place in the United States.
The first fight in the deal was Canelo’s victory over William Scull on May 3, where he added the IBF Super Middleweight title to his vast collection.
The four-weight champion will earn a reported, eye-watering $80 million per fight, with the deal totaling $400 million.
This is one of the biggest deals in boxing today and makes Canelo one of the wealthiest fighters in boxing.
While Paul earned a reported $90 million for his clash with Tyson, he will be furious at missing out on such a lucrative bout with Canelo.