Inside collapse of Jake Paul’s $200m fight with Canelo Alvarez as boxing legend thought bout was TOO BIG for Netflix

JAKE PAUL was connected the verge of a sensational woody to combat Canelo Alvarez - but it was KO'd aft a melodramatic crook of events overnight.

The YouTuber-turned-boxer and Mexican large were poised to this week denote a shock May 3 bout successful Las Vegas.

But Canelo walked distant conscionable days beforehand to alternatively motion a woody with Turki Alalshikh - Saudi Arabia's almighty boxing powerbroker.

It brought an extremity to 1 of the astir singular 24 hours successful boxing.

A mega-fight adjacent rival promoter Eddie Hearn claimed was worthy $200MILLION went up successful fume pursuing a 5 infinitesimal telephone call. 

And SunSport is present to uncover precisely what transpired implicit 3 months of talks betwixt the 2 camps.

It each started successful December, 1 period aft Paul bushed Mike Tyson successful their arguable clash connected Netflix.

Outrage surrounded the combat arsenic Tyson returned astatine 58 for his archetypal professionally-sanctioned bout successful 20 YEARS.

He had lone faced Roy Jones Jr - aged 54 astatine the clip - successful an accumulation 4 years earlier - which was thing much of a glorified sparring session.

Nevertheless, implicit 100 MILLION tuned successful connected Netflix - causing the streaming work to collapse.

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And implicit 70,000 fans turned up astatine the Dallas Cowboys' stadium successful Texas - banking £14.5m successful summons income alone.

This caught the attraction of Canelo - who managed to generate £7.2m successful the aforesaid stadium for his 2020 triumph implicit Billy Joe Saunders.

Paul and his squad - looking to lucifer the commercialized occurrence of their lawsuit with Iron Mike - reached retired to Canelo's campy for talks successful December.

Alvarez - managed by his trainer Eddy Reynoso - near negotiations successful the hands of Al Haymon of Premier Boxing Champions.

Canelo has worked with Oscar de la Hoya and Hearn antecedently but his past 3 bouts had been with PBC - and helium wanted to support it that way.

Talks betwixt the opposing camps progressed into January.

And a verbal statement for Canelo to look Jake Paul successful his adjacent combat had been struck - though thing was officially signed.

The bout would beryllium astatine the 200lb cruiserweight bounds with the T-Mobile Arena successful Vegas already booked - targeted for Netflix - implicit 12 rounds.

According to a societal media station from Paul's promotional spouse Nakisa Bidarian - Canelo's squad initially suggested a 190lb catchweight contest.

But Bidarian argued allowing Paul to combat astatine the 14st 4lb cruiserweight bounds of 200lb would garner much nationalist interest.

'THIS WASN'T A COINCIDENCE'

After all, size was the lone happening connected insubstantial successful the celebrity's favour.

Canelo - a champion successful 4 weights from 154lb up to 175lb - has been called retired by prankster-gone-prizefighter Paul since arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2021.

But the ex-undisputed super-middleweight king ever laughed it disconnected arsenic thing much than nonsense from the erstwhile Disney Channel actor. 

That was until recently, erstwhile Canelo and his squad began to unfastened the doorway to the idea.

This wasn't a coincidence. 

There was a strategical program successful spot for Canelo to statesman publically considering the thought of warring Paul.

That mode fans would commencement to recognise that the antecedently intolerable bout was nary longer conscionable a phantasy of Paul's.

By the caller twelvemonth it looked arsenic though a woody was edging person - each portion Canelo travelled to London for a glitzy Ring Magazine event.

CANELO'S CHANGE OF MIND

In the midst of talks with Paul's camp, Canelo was besides looking to a September super-fight against unbeaten American Terence Crawford.

Alalshikh - who purchased The Ring Magazine from Oscar de la Hoya - had projected a three-bout woody with Canelo.

But Alvarez's regular Cinco de Mayo combat day - held implicit Mexico's yearly solemnisation successful May - was yet to beryllium finalised.

Paul was to capable that abstraction with Crawford taking the September day implicit Mexican Independence Weekend.

Canelo returned location from the superior having held talks with Alalshikh implicit the Crawford fight.

It seemed concern with Paul and Alalshikh's Riyadh Season were being dealt with separately - and would not interfere with each other.

That was each astir to change.

By aboriginal February, Canelo and Paul were adjacent to being capable to denote the Sin City blockbuster.

But suddenly, Canelo a abrupt alteration of mind. 

He informed Paul's squad that helium nary longer wanted the bout connected Netflix - helium felt it was excessively large not to beryllium connected PPV.

PBC are successful their archetypal twelvemonth with Amazon Prime - who besides person a container bureau platform.

But Paul and his squad stood firm. In their eyes the combat was lone ever heading to Netflix.

They had already conceded that Canelo would get A-side treatment.

That included having his sanction archetypal connected the poster portion walking to the ringing and having his sanction announced aft Paul. 

As discussions continued astir the combat being connected PPV oregon Netflix - Alalshikh entered the framework with an ultimatum.

Either Canelo walks distant from a woody with Paul oregon the Crawford combat and immoderate consequent travel up bouts were disconnected the table.

WHAT HAPPENS NOW?

Alalshikh felt Canelo - inactive 34 and with 4 much years planned successful the athletics - could instrumentality a novelty bout against Paul astatine a aboriginal stage.

And helium thought the combat - which astir would deem farcical - lone served to diminish the magnitude of Canelo versus Crawford.

Alalshikh phoned up Canelo - and claimed helium needed conscionable 5 minutes to implicit 1 of boxing's astir melodramatic U-turns.

He offered a caller bumper four-bout woody - starting connected May 4 successful Saudi - progressing into September against Crawford and past 2 fights successful 2026.

But Canelo would person to forfeit his clash with Paul - thing that helium appeared to bash astatine the driblet of a hat. 

It was rapidly announced that Canelo was now combat William Skull, 32, connected Sunday May 4 successful Riyadh. 

That would cater to prime-time Saturday nighttime viewing successful America.

And it volition beryllium for the undisputed super-middleweight satellite titles - aft Skull inherited the IBF mentation Canelo had to vacate.

A triumph for Canelo besides gives Crawford, 37, the accidental to situation for each 4 168lb titles with plans to big astatine the Raiders' 65,000-seat Vegas stadium.

Paul - beaten lone by Tommy Fury successful 2023 - meantime went backmost to the drafting committee and is poised to imminently denote his adjacent opponent.

But determination is inactive anticipation talks with Canelo tin beryllium revisited - possibly with the combat present bigger than ever aft the fiasco that truthful publically transpired.