By Dan Ambrose: Canelo Alvarez has added Jermall Charlo to his list of potential opponents for his next fight in the fall, in addition to WBC cruiserweight champion Badou Jack.
Jermall has been MIA since his war with Juan Macias Montiel in 2021, and it’s questionable what he’s got left at this stage of his career. For Canelo, this is the ideal time for him to fight Charlo because the inactivity will have degraded his skills, leaving him vulnerable to the Mexican star.
Canelo & his promoter Eddie Hearn had wanted to face Dmitry Bivol in a rematch in September, but that’s no longer the case.
Some believe Canelo NEVER had any serious interest in fighting Bivol again after losing to him a year ago. Once was enough.
Canelo might have realized his chances of winning were too small to bother with the rematch. Canelo had already twice skipped rematching Bivol, which meant he didn’t fancy the fight.
The Mexican star Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KOs) and his manager/trainer Eddy Reynoso met with Charlo’s manager Al Haymon a week ago to talk about a fight, according to Mike Coppinger of ESPN.
It’s unknown how serious Canelo is about fighting the inactive Jermall because he hasn’t fought in two years since 2021, and it could be a risky move on Alvarez’s part to make this fight.
This fight should have taken place three years ago when Jermall was still active and in the prime of his career. Fighting him now is arguably a waste of time for Canelo because the interest in that match-up that was once they’re is gone.
If Canelo were to schedule a fight against the 33-year-old Charlo, there’s a possibility that he could pull out for one reason or another. Jermall has had “mental health” issues.
We’ll see whether Canelo wants to gamble on Charlo making it through training camp to the fight.
The fight that likely has a better chance of happening for Canelo is against the 39-year-old WBC cruiserweight champion Badou Jack, as the Saudis at Skills Challenge Entertainment are negotiating that one, and there would be a chance for Alvarez to become a five-division world champion in Saudi Arabia.
Facing the soon to bee 40-year-old Badou Jack is a less than a heroic way for Canelo to win his fifth division world title, especially if the contest involves a catchweight of 175 lbs. Still, it’s probably the only way he can accomplish this goal. The other champions at cruiserweight are too talented, and they’d outclass Canelo worse than Bivol did.
The money the Saudis would pay Canelo would probably be massive, more than what he’d get risking his neck fighting Dmitry Bivol in a rematch.
Dmitry Bivol told ESPN on Friday that he was moving on after it appeared Canelo had no interest in the rematch. David Benavidez’s promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, said they were also moving on after they received no response to a lucrative offer.
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) June 13, 2023