Jermall Charlo & Dmitry Bivol choices for Canelo Alvarez on May 7th

By Boxing News - 01/26/2022 - Comments

By Dan Ambrose: Canelo Alvarez has been offered Jermall Charlo by PBC to fight on May 7th and Dmitry Bivol to face on that same date by Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn.

Gennadiy Golovkin would be part of a two-fight deal packaged with Bivol, probably a deal-killer. Golovkin has been a nightmare for Canelo in their two fights, and it’s pretty clear from watching those fights that the Mexican star doesn’t enjoy fighting him.

Canelo, 31, very well could reject both of these fine options and go with his trainer/manager Eddy Reynoso’s brainchild of facing obscure WBC cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu for his next fight on May 7th.

Beating him would be as easy as falling off a log for Canelo and would be a simple way to capture a fifth division world title worry-free.

If Canelo doesn’t care what this generation’s boxing fans think of him, he should go with Reynoso’s choice of Makabu because he doesn’t need to worry about losing.

The fight with Charlo is the way for Canelo to gain attention, as Bivol is primarily an unknown with U.S boxing fans, and Golovkin is about to turn 40 in April.

The time for Canelo to have fought GGG in a trilogy match was back in early 2019 rather than 2022, but not surprisingly, Alvarez wanted no part of a third fight with the hard-hitting Kazakh.

The fight with Jermall would be a one-fight deal from Premier Boxing Champions for Canelo to fight on pay-per-view similar to how we saw in his last fight against PBC fighter Caleb Plant last November.

Canelo reportedly made $40 million for what was essentially a walk in the park against a fighter that seemed insecure and looking for validation during the contest.

Haymon offering Jermall Charlo for Canelo

“Al Haymon’s PBC recently extended a one-fight offer to Alvarez for a May 7 defense of his undisputed super middleweight championship against middleweight titleholder Jermall Charlo,” said Mike Coppinger to ESPN.

If Canelo chooses to face Jermall, he won’t have to worry about him begging for compliments & reassurance during the fight, as we saw last time. That was off-putting but so utterly predictable, which is why Canelo needs to upgrade the poor opposition he’s been fighting over the previous four years.

It’s now up to Canelo to decide which of these two fights he wants for his net contest on May 7th.

Should he choose the fight with WBA light heavyweight champion Bivol, it would require that he agree to the second half of that deal with a big battle against Gennadiy Gioloivin for September 18th  in what would be a long-awaited trilogy match between the two fighters.

Image: Jermall Charlo & Dmitry Bivol choices for Canelo Alvarez on May 7th

Canelo vs. Jermall Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) would be a big seller on SHOWTIME pay-per-view, and it would likely make the Mexican star a big bundle of money rekindle his fame. Additionally, it would give Canelo his first marquee name since his controversial win over Golovkin in 2018.

Charlo might be the way to go if Canelo is interested in getting fans excited about his career once again.

Over the last four years since that fight, Canelo, 31, has eased off fighting significant opposition and focused chiefly on fighting British fighters that the American boxing fans had never heard of. The guys that Canelo has faced in the last four years have been a disappointing bunch.

Hearn’s 2-fight deal for Canelo

“The other offer came from Eddie Hearn’s Matchroom Boxing, a proposed two-fight deal that would pit Canelo vs. light heavyweight titleholder Dmitry Bivol on May 7,” Coppinger said.

“The second fight: a long-awaited trilogy battle between Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin on Sept. 17, but this time, at 168 pounds for Alvarez’s four belts.

It’s highly doubtful that Canelo will choose the two-fight deal offered by Hearn because it would involve him fighting Golovkin again, and it’s painfully obvious he wants nothing to do with him after their fights in 2017 and 2018.

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