On Wednesday night various media outlets and reporters were stating that super middleweight champion, Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez, would be facing Jake Paul on May 3 in Las Vegas. For all intents and purposes it looked like a done deal.
Paul would be going from facing the most iconic boxer of the 80's (Mike Tyson), to the current face of boxing in consecutive fights. This event would be broadcast on Netflix. With that, it wasn't clear where this left Terence Crawford who was reportedly set to face 'Canelo' in September.
Did a novelty replace a curiosity?
Some were outraged by this development, while others were amused. Me? Well, I was rather apathetic about it. My belief nowadays is that the best way to enjoy boxing -- and not get pissed off about it -- is to have low expectations. Better off to laugh than cry about this whole thing. Besides if the scenario called for Alvarez to face Paul then Crawford, no harm, no foul, right?
Turki Alalshikh
By Thursday, it was announced by Turki Alalshikh that he had signed the Mexican superstar to a four-fight deal that will see him fight on a Riyadh Season card in May in Saudi Arabia (happy Cinco de Mayo!!) and then Crawford in Las Vegas in September.
So after all that, Canelo and Paul will not be on Netflix and chill. This was boxing's version of Dewey defeats Truman.
It was interesting to see the online reaction, some believe that Alvarez was ruining the sanctity of the sport (yeah, I know, I know) by facing Paul. While others lauded the move as being something that was visionary and lucrative. But as the tables turned, the same people that were so critical of Alvarez are now holding him up as guardian of the sport, while those who were excited by Alvarez-Paul somehow felt let down.
Ring Magazine
On Saturday it was announced by Alalshikh, whose purse strings have become the most powerful and influential force in the business, that Alvarez's opponent in early May would be William Scull who has the IBF 168-pound title that he vacated.
While it's a ''real'' fight, you could legitimately say that facing Paul is a much bigger promotion. Scull, is the type of guy that Bert Sugar would say isn't even a household name in his own household. Say what you want about the legitimacy of Paul's boxing career, he has a reach that not many boxers have nowadays. It could be argued that fighting Paul actually helps Alvarez-Crawford in terms of visibility.
If you're Crawford you might have actually preferred that Alvarez face Paul. Hear me out, not only is there very little chance of 'Canelo' getting upset, but it would have been a scenario where Alvarez would have had to go up and meet Paul in a heavier catch-weight above the super middleweight limit, and then come back down in weight.
MVP Promotions
Regardless, the last thing Crawford wants Canelo to do is to face anyone that has any real shot of disrupting his own payday. It would be like getting mugged while having the Super Lotto winning ticket in your pocket. While Alvarez goes again in May, Crawford will be focused on getting his body acclimated to 168 and wait till September. Whatever Canelo did in May really had no impact on Crawford, just as long as he eventually faced him.
The perfect scenario would probably have Crawford facing Scull for his title, to dip his toe into the division after his last contest took place at junior middleweight. But the reality is that Crawford bouts are like your birthday -- they come once-a-year. Remember this isn't about legitimacy, but being lucrative. Why even risk it?
The way this scenario turned out, Crawford is the winner, at least financially.
The loser looks like Paul, who had the rug pulled from him. He's screaming bloody murder and going on online campaign to besmirch the reputation of Alvarez. Perhaps he has a point, or maybe he's just upset that he got used as a bit of leverage by Alvarez. Regardless, he'll move forward.
But perhaps the real lesson learned here is this: it's not official till Turki says it is.
