By: Sean Crose
Word on the street – which in this day and age means social media – is that Canelo Alvarez might not move up to cruiserweight, as has previously been reported. Now, it appears, boxing’s pound for pound star is interested in facing middleweight titlist Jermall Charlo this May. The Sun reports ESPN’s Mike Coppinger as saying the following: “I’m hearing it’s much more likely he’ll fight Jermall Charlo on Cinco de Mayo…there are talks right now for that fight.”
In truth, a Canelo-Charlo fight would most likely bring in a lot more money and eyeballs than a fight between Canelo and Makabu. Charlo, after all, is a dominant and extremely talented fighter. As for Canelo, the man no longer needs an introduction. Currently holding the undisputed super middleweight championship of the world, the Mexican fighter is THE premiere boxer of our day. Makabu, accomplished as he is, is nowhere near as well known or as popular as Canelo and Charlo are. That’s a shame, of course, as it’s nice to see a little known titlist get a chance to step into the spotlight. Still, a Canelo-Charlo battle would certainly get a lot more buzz.
In order for Canelo-Charlo to become a reality, a deal would have to be made between Canelo – who is a free agent – and Premiere Boxing Champions, which represents Charlo. With that being said, accusations of PBC being unwilling to work with fighters outside it’s realm are shaky. Canelo has worked with PBC before, for instance, as recently as his last fight, in fact. For last year’s extremely successful card highlighted by Canelo’s match with Caleb Plant was a result of the PBC and Canelo (who is associated with Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn) working together smoothly. In other words, an agreement could certainly be arrived at between both the Canelo and Charlo camps, provided both men want the fight and that a May battle is feasible for all parties involved.
