By: Hans Themistode
Jermall Charlo has done everything in his power to get Canelo Alvarez to notice him. From putting on stellar performance after stellar performance, to flat out calling him out, Charlo has done it all.
Yet, no matter how well he performed inside of the ring, Alvarez seldom mentioned him. With that being said, trainer Eddy Reynoso has watched quietly what Charlo has done, and by all accounts, he’s been impressed with what he’s seen.
“Charlo has been rising,” said Reynoso to ESPN Deportes. “He has been advancing.”
Recently, the WBC middleweight titlist continued his unbeaten run in his second championship reign with a win over perpetual contender Sergiy Derevyanchenko in late August. The betting public was under the impression that their contest which co-headlined a Showtime Pay-Per-View, would be the most difficult contest of his career. Despite those thoughts, Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs) picked Derevyanchenko apart on the night before cruising to a one sided unanimous decision victory. Following the win, Charlo kept his tradition going as he once again called for a shot against Canelo.
It’s a matchup that not only intrigues Reynoso, but he also has a date in mind as to when he would like to see it take place.
“It would be a big and important fight, but that fight has to take place next year.”
Although the two division titlist could be on the verge of having the one contest he has craved the most, with Alvarez not competing at 160 pounds in a year and a half, Reynoso believes getting down in weight could be an issue.
“I don’t think we can make 160-pounds right now after a year without fighting. These are factors that can be complicated.”
At the moment, fans of Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KOs) would settle for watching their man spar at this point. After a 2019 that saw the 30 year old unify titles in the middleweight division before ultimately moving up two weight classes to become only the fourth Mexican born fighter to win world titles in four different weight classes, he’s sat idly on the sidelines.
His absence from the ring however, has been through no fault of his. With a pending legal battle against DAZN and his promoter Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions, Alvarez has a long road back to the squared circle. Despite that, Reynoso is keeping him in the gym at all times just in case a fight just so happens to fall in their lap.
“We are really working as if we were going to fight,” explained Reynoso. “We have always had that criterion, you have to be in the gym for whatever comes, so we have confidence that we can do something before the end of the year. If not, well, to fight in the early months of the following year. That’s why we are active and we are working in the gym daily.”
