Canelo Alvarez cannot move to light heavyweight if he wants to face Gennadiy Golovkin for the undisputed championship at 168.
The pound-for-pound king remains coy about his immediate future in the sport.
That’s the stance by the manager and trainer Eddy Reynoso of Canelo, who stated recent rumors about facing a 175-pound champion in May were untrue.
A report circulated citing ‘sources’ for a possible two-fight plan with DAZN in 2022. Reynoso moved to blow up the statement as a baseless rumor completely.
“Good afternoon, I am grateful to communicate that there are offers for Canelo’s next fight from PBC and Matchroom,” said Reynoso.
“The negotiation process is still a work in progress. A final decision has not gotten reached.
“As of now, all information published yesterday has no truth or foundation behind it. Once we have a signed agreement, our team will be the first to notify the public.”
#teamcanelo✍???????????? pic.twitter.com/PEo581aIsa
— EDDY REYNOSO (@CANELOTEAM) February 10, 2022
WBN understands Canelo has at least seven separate fights to chew over. Jermall Charlo, Dmitry Bivol, Junior Makabu, and Gennadiy Golovkin feature.
Seemingly ruled out are David Benavidez, Demetrius Andrade, and Artur Beterbiev.
Benavidez is the standout name that Mexcian fans want for Cinco de Mayo. However, it looks increasingly likely that Canelo will relinquish the super middleweight belts in 2022. Benavidez would then be first in line to challenge for at least one of those straps.
Therefore, the top contender is content to wait his turn and face an alternative opponent in the meantime.
The one massive flaw in Canelo campaigning at light heavyweight for his next fight, though, has a lot to do with those title belts.
If the Mexican superstar does move up to 175 this May, the four titles in his possession would effectively lie dormant for the next six months if the sanctioning bodies don’t remove them.
Canelo would not be able to defend them, leaving another potential fight with Gennadiy Golovkin in the future without any belts.
That is certainly not where ‘GGG’ wants to be right now.
GGG UNDISPUTED
The Kazakhstan puncher would one hundred percent want the undisputed title on the line if he gets coaxed to move up by Canelo.
At this point, there seems absolutely no way Canelo could move up to 175 or even cruiserweight, for that matter, and keep all his 168 championships.
If Golovkin happens in 2022, it has to be now. This scenario is a huge sticking point with the former middleweight king contracted to face Ryota Murata.
The unified 160-pound fight got postponed due to the pandemic. It was worth a whopping $100 million or more in Murata’s home country of Japan.
Right now, everything is up in the air. There are many points to discuss regarding where Canelo goes next and how he gets there.
Golovkin is emerging as the biggest fight for May 7th, and Canelo needs to strike while the iron is hot due to his rival’s age.
Complications over titles and possible mandatory defenses mean a Canelo vs. GGG trilogy has to be at the forefront of everyone’s mind before any move up in weight.
Canelo could drop his undisputed belts without the GGG fight and head up a division. But that would effectively kill the Golovkin fight if no straps were on the line.
Phil Jay – Editor of World Boxing News since 2010 with over one billion views. Follow WBN on Twitter @WorldBoxingNews.
