By Allan Fox: Eddie Hearn says Canelo Alvarez’s self-confidence is at such a high level now that he believes he can beat heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Oleksandr Usyk. The Mexican star’s confidence is in the stratosphere, according to Hearn.
That would be interesting to boxing fans to see the 5’8″ Canelo, 31, try and duplicate what former middleweight champion Roy Jones Jr. accomplished in jumping up to heavyweight and capturing a world title in 2003.
Jones Jr. weighed only 193 lbs when he dethroned WBA heavyweight champion John Ruiz in that fight. In Canelo’s case, he would have a more arduous task, as Joshua weighs in the 240s and can punch with significant power.
Canelo (57-1-2, 39 KOs) hasn’t said whether he’s going up to cruiserweight next to challenge WBC champion Ilunga Makabu or remain at 168 to defend his four titles against his next fight on May 7th.
Canelo will likely stay at super middleweight for his next fight and defend his IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO titles against the unbeaten Jermall Charlo (32-0, 22 KOs).
Hearn wants Canelo to fight Bivol or Golovkin
“I was with him in San Diego, and this is the moment where he’ll field all the offers from everybody. It could be Charlo from PBC, Beterbiev from Top Rank.
From us, it could be Bivol or Golovkin, which are two great fights,” said Hearn to MMA Hour on who Canelo will fight next on May 7th.
“It really comes down to money, of course, but also what he and Eddy Reynoso fancy, what they like. They’ve got all the money, they’ve got all the legacy, they’ve got all the belts.
“Canelo lives for the challenge, and it’ll come down to the fight he likes. The Golovkin fight is still the biggest in boxing; it’s the trilogy for the undisputed championship [at 168].
“Bivol is a great fight at 175 if he moves up and tries to become undisputed at light heavyweight. Charlo is another good fight, Benavidez; there are loads of fights.
“He’s earned the right to call the shots, and for me, it’s a dream working with him. When you’re around a fighter like Canelo, you start to realize the importance of confidence and mindset of a fighter,” Hearn said.
There won’t be any point in Canelo fighting Gennadiy Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs) after this year because the Kazakh fighter will be 41-years-old in 2023. Fans will laugh at Canelo if he chooses to fight Golovkin with him being that age.
Canelo believes he beats Joshua & Usyk
“He thinks he’s completely unbeatable, and he thinks he can beat Usyk,” Hearn continued. “I guess he thinks he can beat AJ. That’s just his mentality. He’s so good. Arguably the best fighter I’ve ever seen up close, but even across the generations.
“When I got to work with him, we did Saunders; we broke the indoor attendance record in Dallas. It was a dream come true, really.
“I don’t want to sound like a fan-boy, but if we can get his signature for a couple of fights, I’d be over the moon,” said Hearn.
If Hearn is going to keep Canelo with DAZN, he will need to sell him on the idea of fighting Bivol, Golovkin, or perhaps Demetrius Andrade.
Right now, it seems like Canelo will go in the direction of fighting Charlo next, as that’s a fight that the boxing public wishes to see from him, and it’ll attract a great deal of interest from fans.
Charlo is an excellent fighter who has a large following of fans. What makes Charlo the ideal opponent for Canelo is that he’s vulnerable and not as dangerous as Golovkin, Bivol, Artur Beterbiev, or David Benavidez.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaMOJ577ABA