Bundrage a possibility for Saul Alvarez

By Boxing News - 06/28/2012 - Comments

Image: Bundrage a possibility for Saul Alvarez(Photo: Casino/Showtime) By Dan Ambrose: 39-year-old IBF light middleweight champion Cornelius Bundrage (31-4, 18 KO’s) is one of the possibilities to face WBC junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez (40-0-1, 29 KO’s) on September 15th if Bundrage impresses in his fight this Saturday night against former two division world champion Cory Spinks at the Fantasy Springs Casino, in Indio, California.

Bundrage isn’t the only one that’s being considered for the 21-year-old Alvarez. WBA 154 pound champion Austin Trout, and Erislandy Lara are also in the running for the fight. Lara isn’t considered a serious possibility, however, because he doesn’t have a huge fan base in the United States or a world title.

Neither Bundrage nor Trout have big fans bases either, but they have titles, and that will give Alvarez more credibility with the networks and casual boxing fans if can capture those titles. The more titles that Alvarez wins the better for him, even if they’re paper titles like the IBF and WBA belts that Trout and Bundrage carry.

For Alvarez to really get much from beating champions, it’s got to be a well known champion like Floyd Mayweather Jr. or Miguel Cotto. Unfortunately for Alvarez, Cotto was recently beaten by Mayweather and Cotto turned down Golden BOy Promotions offer for him to face Alvarez on September 15th. You can’t blame Cotto for not being interested in facing Alvarez, because he still doesn’t bring the huge money to the table that Cotto would get in facing Mayweather or Manny Pacquiao in rematches.

If Austin or Bundrage are picked out by Golden Boy to fight Alvarez, they’re going to need to rethink the idea of making Alvarez’s fight a pay-per-view bout on September 15th, because boxing fans won’t pay a dime to see Alvarez fight Austin or Bundrage. None of them are big stars in the U.S, and that includes Alvarez as well. He’s only known by hardcore boxing fans.



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