Canelo to fight next in September or October

By Boxing News - 05/10/2015 - Comments

Canelo Alvarez v James Kirkland(Photo Credit:Ed Mulholland/Golden Boy/Golden Boy via Getty Images) By Dan Ambrose: #1 WBC, #2 WBA junior middleweight contender Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (45-1-1, 32 KOs) says he’ll be back inside the ring in either September or October against an opponent still to be determined.

Canelo would obviously like that opponent to be WBC middleweight belt holder Miguel Cotto, but that’s unlikely given how long it takes for Cotto to negotiate fights with his opposition.

Canelo will likely need to either face one of the better known 154 pound contenders or else drag a welterweight up in weight to face him. The lucky opponent is going to need to be a fairly big name because Canelo’s next fight will be televised on HBO pay-per-view. The network isn’t going to just give Canelo a blank check for him to fight just anybody on PPV.

It’s going to need to be a name. Canelo’s two opponents prior to the James Kirkland fight last Saturday, Erislandy Lara and Alfredo Angulo, weren’t great choices for PPV. Canelo will need to do better than that now that he’s fighting on HBO.

“Canelo said he wants to fight next in Sept or Oct. Canelo-Kirkland #boxing,” Dan Rafael said on his twitter. “Said he celebrated the KO but was a little worried about Kirkland so went to check on him. Canelo said he tried to KO Kirkland in rd 1 but just couldn’t. Says fight with Cotto is a natural. Says he will watch Cotto-Geale on TV. In a word Canelo said of his performance he is ‘satisfied.’”

It would be great for Canelo if he were able to negotiate a fight against Cotto for September or October. With Cotto fighting on HBO and with his contract with Roc Nation Sports, he’s going to need to fight someone like Canelo to make it worthwhile for both of these entities. Cotto received a huge contract with Roc Nation, and it arguably won’t be a great deal for them if Cotto is going to pick and choose non-threats like Daniel Geale instead of facing Canelo and/or Gennady Golovkin.

HBO won’t be getting a great deal with either Cotto or Canelo if they don’t face each other of fight Golovkin. Canelo vs. Kirkland was a mismatch going in the door. That wasn’t a competitive fight. HBO gets a great deal if the Canelo-Cotto fight and Canelo-Golovkin fights take place. If Canelo would fight someone like Keith Thurman or Marcos Maidana, those would be good alternatives to him fighting Golovkin or Cotto. Canelo would likely have a huge weight advantage over both of them, but that wouldn’t be the first time that Canelo had a weight advantage over an opponent.

“Canelo says he’ll eventually fight GGG but they’re in different divisions right now. But he’ll eventually move up,” Rafael said. “Canelo says it’s an honor to fight for his country and his countrymen. Canelo said he tried to KO Kirkland in rd 1 but just couldn’t.”

It’s funny that Canelo says he and Golovkin are in different weight divisions when Canelo’s last three fights have been at middleweight, the same division that Golovkin’s fighting at. 155 = middleweight. The weight limit for middleweight is from 155 to 160. I’m not sure if Canelo is aware of the fact that he’s fighting at middleweight, but that’s the reality. He weighs as much as Golovkin after he rehydrates to the mid-170s for his catch-weight fights at 155. I don’t know why Canelo persists in saying that he and Golovkin are in different weight classes. If you weigh 155 for your fights and then rehydrate to 170+, that makes you a middleweight in my book.



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