By Ryan O'Hara
February 9, 2022
Source: The RING
Photo Source: Amanda Westcott, Showtime
It appears Canelo Alvarez isn’t moving up to the cruiserweight division — for now. Instead, Alvarez and Eddie Hearn are reportedly working on a two-fight deal for boxing’s biggest star to return to DAZN.
The first fight would be against WBA light heavyweight titlist Dmitry Bivol (19-0, 11 KOs) on May 7, while the second, given Canelo is victorious, would be a trilogy fight against The Ring’s No. 1-rated middleweight Gennadiy Golovkin on September 17.
Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs), a former unified middleweight champion, will face Ryota Murata in a unification bout in the spring in Tokyo. Kazakhstan’s Golovkin holds the IBF belt, while Japan’s Murata is the WBA beltholder.
Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions is also attempting to keep the 31-year-old Mexican star on their side of the pond. Their offer is worth $45 million for Canelo to defend his undisputed super middleweight championship against Jermall Charlo, a former junior middleweight titleholder who holds the WBC 160-pound title on May 7. On the other hand, Matchroom’s offer is worth up to $85 million for two fights.
Since scoring an 11th-round TKO of previously unbeaten 168-pound titlist Caleb Plant in November, it has been a game of musical chairs as to what Alvarez’s next move will be. The first rumor was that Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) would move up two weight classes to take on WBC cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu after Canelo’s trainer, Eddy Reynoso, put in a request to the sanctioning organization to make the fight. That was further amplified when the pair met at the WBC’s convention in Mexico last November and posed for pictures.
But it appears Alvarez could be going in a different direction or, at the very least, is compiling a list of names in case one deal doesn’t pan out. If fans recall, Canelo-Plant was initially aimed to take place on September 18 last year, but talks broke down over contract issues. Having a backup plan would eliminate the risk associated with failed negotiations.
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