As World Boxing News exclusively revealed on Monday, Sergey Kovalev is open to defending his WBO light-heavyweight title against Canelo Alvarez in 2019.
Kovalev’s promoter Kathy Duva reacted to previous rumors Oscar De La Hoya had singled out the big-punching Russian for Canelo’s fourth division championship attempt.
The Main Events boss was clearly on board with opening discussions with Golden Boy when speaking to WBN on the matter.
“I have been hearing these rumors too. I have been told that Canelo would like to challenge Sergey for his title,” Duva told WBN.
“But to date, we have received no offers from Golden Boy. So I don’t know how serious these rumors could be.
“Of course, Sergey is open to it. It would be a historic matchup. With Canelo trying for a world title in his fourth weight class.
“If it is true, and Canelo really wants to do that, you really have to give him a lot of credit. He’s a true throwback fighter who always needs and wants a bigger challenge.
“Who wouldn’t be excited about Canelo moving up in weight ahead and fighting Sergey Kovalev?”
Since then, talk of Canelo v Kovalev has been met with disbelief among fans. The truth is, Canelo has been linked to fighting Kovalev for THREE YEARS.
The Mexican superstar first mentioned Kovalev after defeating Miguel Cotto at middleweight in November 2015.
Months on, and the 28 year-old mentioned a potential future fight with the ‘Krusher’ to journalists.
CANELO
All that’s needed now is for De La Hoya to reach out to Duva for negotiations to begin. The contest would be a blockbuster battle on DAZN.
A mandatory against Anthony Yarde must first be taken care of by Kovalev. This means the three-time ruler could be ready by the end of the year.
Canelo may also be willing to delay his return to action (scheduled for September). It would allow the 160 pound number one to secure the opportunity to challenge Kovalev and become a four-weight king.
If successful, Canelo knows he can join Mexican legends Juan Manuel Marquez, Jorge Arce and Erik Morales in the history books.
The ball, according to Duva, is firmly in the Golden Boy court.
