Canelo Alvarez’s management is pushing for Jaime Munguia to be his opponent for May followed by Jermall Charlo in September with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) for Amazon Prime PPV.
If it goes through, this would be the two-fight deal that Canelo wants, but PBC understandably is NOT interested in paying for the Jermall match for Alvarez in September.
With them being the ones that would be paying for this fight, it’s not interest to give Canelo a massive $30 million+ guaranteed purse for a fight that would likely hemorrage money by bringing in only a small amount of PPV buys.
Even the Canelo vs. Munguia fight would be a gamble on PBC’s part, as that’s a mismatch and nowhere close to being a 50-50 fight. Munguia is a badly flawed fighter who came close to losing to 38-year-old Sergiy Derevyanchenko last year.
The Proposed Matchups
- Jaime Munguia: A fight targeted for May. Chris Mannix believes that Canelo-Munguia could bring in 500,000 PPV buys on Amazon Prime, which is an optimistic prediction based on a fight that mainstream fans are not interested in. Munguia has beaten no one to earn a title shot against Canelo, apart from 35-year-old British fighter, John Ryder, and 38-year-old Sergiy Derevyanchenko. The success of Canelo vs. Munguia would hinge on a section of fans of those two fighters in the U.S. It’s a fight that most fans will ignore, especially if it’s priced too high. Pricing the event in the $70 range would be pure poison for PBC and Amazon Prime.
- Jermall Charlo: The unbeaten Jermall would be Canelo’s fight in May as part of his last two fights with PBC. It’s understandable why PBC is dragging its feet on agreeing to allow Canelo to fight. This fight will NOT sell, and PBC will be kicking themselves for agreeing to let Canelo package it with his original three-fight deal.
The Financial Roadblock
“PBC have included reviving the three-fight deal by agreeing to a two-fight arrangement that would see Canelo face Munguia, followed by a September fight against Jermall Charlo, sources told SI,” said Chris Mannix on SI.
“While a Munguia fight is marketable, a fight against Charlo, a middleweight champion who has fought once in nearly three years, is not, and PBC continues to show little interest in putting up the money required to make that fight. Álvarez wants sizable guarantees for his fights, usually in excess of $30 million.”