By: Hans Themistode
If Gennadiy Golovkin, Jermall Charlo, Demetrius Andrade, or any other middleweight hopeful wants to face Canelo Alvarez, they’ll have to do so eight pounds north.
After fluctuating between middleweight and light heavyweight, Alvarez has officially settled at a weight class right in between both, super middleweight.
“He is 168 now. It is his prime weight,” said Alvarez’s trainer/manager Eddy Reynoso during an interview with boxingscene.com. “This is his weight.”
To further reinforce Reynoso’s words that Alvarez will in fact stick around in the super middleweight division, the former four-division champion officially dropped his WBA middleweight championship. A title he held since ending the title reign of Gennadiy Golovkin in late 2018.
Immediately following the win, Alvarez (54-1-2, 36 KOs) began experimenting with his weight. The Mexican superstar dipped his toes in the super middleweight division and by all accounts, he enjoyed it. In December of 2018, Alvarez scored a quick third-round stoppage win against Rocky Fielding, lifting his WBA world title in the process.
While he claimed that he felt great at the weight, Alvarez opted to move back down six months later, scoring a unanimous decision victory against Daniel Jacobs and adding his IBF middleweight title to his collection.
From there, Alvarez figured that if he could make the trek eight pounds north, then he could make an even bigger leap. This time, 15 pounds higher to land him in the light heavyweight division. After nabbing Sergey Kovalev’s WBO title via 11th round stoppage, he would drop down again to the super middleweight division. Just a few short weeks ago, the Mexican native would outclass former WBA/Ring magazine 168-pound titlist Callum Smith.
Alvarez, 30, may have found success competing in several weight classes, but he has also become the target of several notable names spanning across numerous divisions. The likes of WBC middleweight belt holder Jermall Charlo, WBA light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol and even unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. have called for their shot against Alvarez.
Regardless of the perpetual call outs, Reynoso has no issue with whomever Alvarez faces. The 2019 trainer of the year has only one demand for anyone who wants to take on his pound for pound star.
“Anyone who wants to fight Canelo will have to meet us (at super middleweight). He’s not giving away any more of his prime. It is where he feels strongest.”
