By Sean Jones: Canelo Alvarez says WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo will get his shot soon, but first, he’s got to take care of Caleb Plant next.
Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) called out Canelo last Saturday night after his tougher than expected victory over challenger Juan Macias Montiel at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
WBA/WBC/WBO super middleweight champion Canelo (56-1-2, 38 KOs) will be fighting IBF champion Caleb Plant (21-0, 12 KOs) next in September if they can get the fight negotiated.
With Plant asking for $10 million+ for the Canelo fight, it’s a question mark whether that fight gets made. It’ll come down to whether Canelo wants to give Plant the $10M rather than $5-8 million.
“Jermall Charlo’s time is coming. I’m focused on Caleb Plant first,” Canelo reportedly said.”It’s almost time for Jermall Charlo and Canelo Alvarez to fight.
You can argue that Jermall’s performance against Juan Macias Montiel (22-5-2, 22 KOs) last Saturday night may have motivated Canelo to fight him because he looked utterly beatable. Montiel had Jermall hurt several times in the fight, and he might have stopped him if he had more talent.
Charlo wants Canelo to fight him at 160 in Houston
Interestingly, Charlo spoke as if he’s the A-side with Canelo, saying that he wants him to come to Houston and drop down eight pounds from 168 to 160 without a catchweight.
Canelo has fought Texas several times, but I don’t know that he would be willing to give Jermall the hometown advantage against him.
It’s unclear whether Charlo purposely saying that because he doesn’t want the fight with Canelo or if he truly believes that he’s the A-side in that fight. Whatever it is, Charlo’s mouth is going to talk him out of the fight with Canelo.
“I want to get Canelo to come to Houston if he comes down to 160,” Charlo said. “This is my weight division. I’m going to stay here and reign here.
“This is my fourth title defense, and I have many more to come. I’m young. I’m hungry.”
Charlo’s chances of Canelo fighting him at 160 are zero, and the same applies to him coming to Houston.
If Charlo stubbornly sticks to his guns and refuses to move from his stance of wanting Canelo to fight come down in weight in 160, he won’t get the fight. It’s as simple as that.
Jermall wants GGG to fight him in Houston
With Charlo’s odd behavior when it comes to setting barriers to getting the big fights, it’s doubtful he’ll get the Canelo match.
For example, Charlo said he wants two-time former WBC super middleweight champion David Benavidez to come down to 160 if he wants to face him. There’s no way that Benavidez can do that, as he’s barely making 168.
“One-hundred sixty is my weight division,” Charlo said last Saturday night. “I want to unify. I want to get Golovkin in the ring. I want to bring him to Houston.”
Golovkin is NOT going to come to fight Jermall in Houston, and likely not at all.