By Sean Jones: Trainer/manager Eddy Reynoso says Jermall Charlo will make for a good fight for Canelo Alvarez in his next contest on May 7th in the U.S. Reynoso feels that the unbeaten Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs) would create a lot of interest for Canelo in the United States.
Despite Reynoso’s comments on Charlo, he’s still undecided on who Canelo will face at this point, as he’s still mentioning other top fighters that are in the running.
It’s possible that Reynoso and Canelo have already made up their mind on who they want for their May 7th fight, but they’re not going to tip their hands for fear of driving up the asking price for their opponent.
Overall, boxing fans would like to see Canelo fight Jermall because it would give them a welcome break from the flawed 168-lb champions that Canelo has been focusing on lately.
In the last two years, Canelo beat these fighters:
- Avni Yildirim
- Billy Joe Saunders
- Caleb Plant
- Callum Smith
Jermall Charlo would be a HUGE improvement over those weaker champions, but he might be too much of an advanced level fighter for Canelo & his eagle-eyed coach Reynoso to take.
That duo has been consistent with their approach to selecting beatable opposition that was never close to having a 50-50 shot at winning.
Reynoso prefers Charlo for Canelo
“Well, I think [David] Benavidez is more balanced than everyone because he makes good boxing purses,” said Canelo’s trainer/manager Eddy Reynoso to Fight Hub TV.
“But Charlo is there, [Artur] Beterbiev, [Dmitry] Bivol and the WBO guy [Joe] Smith. There’s a lot of options where we [Canelo] can go.
“Two fights,” said Reynoso when asked how many fights Canelo will take in 2022. “We got to give him rest. We had four fights in one year, so he’s a little tired. We will let him rest until February and then start the year off well.
“He’s a good fighter, a good boxer,” Reynoso said when asked about his thoughts on Benavidez. “He’s strong, fast, and he’s a very good fighter.
“Well, everyone says that,” Reynoso said when told that many boxing fans believe David Benavidez can beat Canelo now. “They said that of [Gennadiy] Golovkin, [Billy Joe] Saunders, [Austin] Trout, [Callum] Smith, [Caleb] Plant, and they all lost.
“They are always going to say that, and it’s good that they say that because what kind of fight would we have.
“Well, I like it. I like my job. I really love my work. Charlo,” said Reynoso when asked what is a good fight for Canelo. “I think a Charlo fight with Canelo is more media-friendly.
“Because Charlo is a fighter that sells more [than Artur Beterbiev]. He’s [Jermall] a fighter that more people follow, and because of that, it’s a more attractive fight,” Reynosos said on the appeal of Charlo as an opponent for Canelo.
It sounds good that Reynoso likes the idea of Canelo fighting Jermall Charlo next, but the proof is in the pudding.
We’ve heard Reynoso talk a lot in the last two years, but instead of Canelo fighting quality opposition, he’s taken it easy fighting weak paper champions.
Canelo even stooped to the level of fighting his old sparring partner Yildirim, who hadn’t fought in two years and was coming off a loss.
Golovkin a possibility for Alvarez
“Yeah, of course. Canelo is at the level where he can fight anyone,” said Reynoso in reacting to being told that former WBC light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk says that Canelo can beat undefeated IBF/WBC 175-lb champion Artur Beterbiev (17-0, 17 KOs).
“I think the difference will be the weight, and we got to be careful with that. He’s [Canelo] fighting in weight classes where he feels strong, and 168 is where he feels strong.
“Let’s see if something can happen in May or September,” said Reynoso when asked if a trilogy fight with Gennady Golovkin can happen in 2022 against Canelo.
“The truth is, Golovkin has raised his hand recently to fight against Canelo, but there’s intent there for a trilogy. Yeah, 168. If he wants it, he can come up. Saul can’t go down.
“168, maybe he [Canelo] can move up, but he can’t make 160 anymore. Beterbiev or Bivol, one of those also,” Reynoso on possibilities for Canelo’s next fight. “Let’s see what happens this year.
“We are going to be working with the promoters that have the best fighters and fights for us,” Reynoso said of the type of promoters Canelo will be working with.
Sean Jones doesn’t believe for a second that Canelo will fight Gennady Golovkin in a trilogy match in 2022.
Even though it’s a fight that would make Canelo more money than fighting anyone else, he won’t do it because he’s had a challenging time in his two previous battles with GGG.
Fighters are like regular people in their unwillingness to do things that require pain, hard work, and single-minded sacrifice.
Canelo has repeatedly shown over the last four years that he’s unwilling to put himself through the torture involved with fighting Golovkin, so it doesn’t matter what Reynoso says about him suddenly being willing to fight the 40-year-old GGG. He won’t do it.
Bivol, Smith & Benavidez options
“Yeah, we did that number because of the magnitude of the fight,” Reynoso on Canelo, working with PBC for his last match-up against former IBF super middleweight champion Caleb Plant last November.
“But with Matchroom, we have Bivol, Top Rank with Joe Smith, PBC [Jermall] Charlo, and [David] Benavidez. So, let’s see who we can have a good fight with.
“We are looking to fight in May and September in the U.S, and the last one in Mexico. Let’s see if we can fight in Azteca. We are in the best moment of Canelo’s career. Hopefully, we can get a chance to fight here,” said Reynoso.
As you can see, Reynoso is spitting out names like a machinegun, but Sean Jones knows that Canelo isn’t going to fight any of those dangerous talents. Why? Because he might lose, and he’s going to avoid that from happening at all costs.
What we’re likely to see in 2022 is Canelo fighting WBC cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu next on May 7th.
Reynoso will tell the media that Canelo chooses Makabu because he wants to cement his legacy by capturing his fifth division world title.
The reality is, Canelo would be picking Makabu because it’ll allow him to get a sure-thing win while avoiding the talented fighters Benavidez, GGG, Beterbiev, Bivol, Demetrius Andrade, and Charlo.
For Canelo’s second fight of 2022 in September, he’ll face the Danny Jacobs vs. John Ryder clash winner.
Those two are fighting in a WBA 168-lb title eliminator on February 12th. The winner will be Canelo’s WBA mandatory, and yeah, they’re both flawed and easily eatable for the Mexican star.
Shakur wants Canelo to fight Jermall
“I’d rather see him fight Charlo. I think that’s a really big fight. I’ve seen him fight GGG already,” said Shakur Stevenson to ESNEWS on who he wants to see Canelo fight next.
“[Dmitry] Bivol, he impressed me, but I feel like Charlo is more of an entertaining fight. I think that would be a more entertaining fight because Charlo has got the punching power and the size.
“I don’t think Charlo is soft, so he’s not going to be too scared of Canelo. He’s got a great record, and Charlo is a dog.
“He’s coming in there to win. He’s not coming in there to lay down. It’ll be an interesting fight,” said Shakur Stevenson on a potential Canelo vs. Jermall clash on May 7th.
It would be suitable for Canelo to fight Jermall Charlo, but it would require the willingness on his part to take a risk with his career.
In case you haven’t noticed, Canelo has taken a backward step with his career since 2018, fighting lesser fighters like Sergey Kovalev, Avni Yildirim, Caleb Plant, and Billy Joe Saunders.
Fighters are creatures of habit by and large when it comes to the kind of opposition they face.
When you get a guy that is essentially only interested in padding their record, as we’ve been seeing with Canelo, you can’t suddenly ask him to fight a talent like Jermall Charlo because they won’t do it.
