Max Holloway gives four-word reaction to Canelo Alvarez using Jake Paul as a bargaining chip in Turki Alalshikh deal

Canelo Alvarez and Jake Paul were reportedly on the brink of agreeing a deal to fight in the boxing ring before Turki Alalshikh's intervention saw the deal collapse. Alalashikh operates as the Chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia. Since 2024, he has been a major player in the 'sweet science', helping to bridge the financial gap that had previously seen the biggest fights in the world fall apart during the negotiation phases.

Alalshikh has begun what is known as "Riyadh Season" boxing events, hosting talent-filled boxing cards in the capital of Saudi Arabia.

The collapse of Alvarez's deal with Paul dovetailed with the Mexican signing a four-fight exclusive deal with Alalshikh in a major turn of events. Since the deal was finalized, reports have emerged that the super middleweight champion used his potential fight with 'The Problem Child' as leverage to negotiate a bigger deal with Alalshikh.

Those rumors were reported by MMA journalist Luke Thomas, who wrote this on X:

"If you're not keeping track, Canelo used Paul as a bargaining chip to get more money from Turki and negotiated it through coordinated media leaks. Paul is bitter about it."

Check out Luke Thomas' post below:

Alvarez's alleged negotiation tactic caught the eye of BMF title holder Max Holloway, who shared a four-word reaction to Thomas' post online. He wrote this:

"What a business move."

Check out Max Holloway's reaction below:

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Canelo Alvarez speaks out following collapse of Jake Paul fight and signing with Turki Alalshikh

Canelo Alvarez was so close to fighting Jake Paul that leading boxing promoter Eddie Hearn labeled it as a "done deal" during a recent interview. However, Turki Alalshikh swooped in to stop a fight being made that he felt would have cast boxing in a bad light.

The undisputed super middleweight champion has now signed a four-fight deal with Alalshikh.

Following the deal's confirmation, the Guadalajara native shared a video message with boxing fans about his ground-breaking acquisition. The video was uploaded to X by Ring Magazine, where he said this:

"Hey guys, don't pay attention to anything from this f**king YouTuber. I just fight real fighters. No f**king around with Canelo. Come on, let's go."

Check out Canelo Alvarez's message below: