How much will Canelo Alvarez make from Riyadh Season deal? Reports claim it's $250 million short of Floyd Mayweather's two biggest paydays combined
Canelo Alvarez set the combat sports realm abuzz by inking a major deal with Saudi Arabia's Riyadh Season venture. The development was confirmed earlier this month, and he's expected to compete in Saudi Arabia for the very first time. One of the biggest talking points about the deal is Alvarez's pay.
Per Marca, Mexican boxing analyst Carlos Aguilar recently shed light on how much money Alvarez is expected to make from the deal he signed on Feb. 7, 2025. Initially, Saudi Arabian GEA (General Entertainment Authority) Chair, His Excellency Turki Alalshikh, announced that Alvarez finalized a four-fight deal with Riyadh Season. Well, Aguilar has contrarily reported that it's a five-fight deal.
Canelo Alvarez would reportedly earn $400 million overall as part of his five-fight deal with Riyadh Season. Regarding the update that it'll be a five-fight deal, El Zar reported that Aguilar explained the following during his conversation with Mexico-based broadcaster MVS Deportes:
"It's not going to be four, everything indicates that it's going to be five fights and it's going to be around 80 million dollars per fight for Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez. Four in Arabia, one in the United States."
Retired unbeaten boxing great Floyd Mayweather Jr. handed Alvarez his first professional boxing defeat, beating him via majority decision back in 2013. Mayweather reportedly earned $650 million in two of his biggest pro boxing matches combined -- $300 million for outpointing Manny Pacquiao in 2015, and $350 million in a TKO win over MMA icon Conor McGregor in 2017.
As such, in 2025, some feel that Canelo Alvarez could've demanded, and received, an even bigger sum for multiple fights under the Riyadh Season banner. The $400 million deal is $250 million short of what Mayweather earned from two of his biggest fights.
Nevertheless, the reported sum of $400 million was deemed to be an improvement over Alvarez's 2018 deal with DAZN. Per ESPN, he'd signed an 11-fight deal with DAZN for $365 million overall.
Alvarez couldn't complete all of the fights on the DAZN deal due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and opted out of it. In September 2020, Alvarez sued broadcast partner DAZN and his promoter Oscar De La Hoya (of Golden Boy Promotions) for breach of contract and sought $280 million in damages. In November 2020, per Sportico, Alvarez's aforementioned deal with DAZN was nullified after a settlement.
Canelo Alvarez's first fight from Riyadh Season deal, potential future matchups
Back in January 2025, Canelo Alvarez attended Ring Magazine's 'The Ring Awards.' His Instagram post about the same featured photographs of himself and other boxing personalities, including HE Turki Alalshikh, whom Alvarez previously verbally sparred with.
Earlier this year, reports emerged that Alvarez could fight YouTuber-cum-boxer Jake Paul in May 2025. However, it was subsequently announced that Alvarez had signed a deal with Riyadh Season, which Alalshikh is closely associated with.
Per ESPN, unified super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez's Riyadh Season partnership's first fight would see him fight IBF super middleweight champion William Scull in an undisputed super middleweight championship match in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 3, 2025 (May 4, 2025, local time in Riyadh).
Alvarez would then likely face Terence Crawford in Las Vegas on Sept. 13, 2025, and have two fights in Riyadh in February 2026 and October 2026.