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What’s Next for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez?

CA CartoonBy Anthony “Stacks” Saldaña

Last weekend WBC and Ring lineal middleweight champion of the world Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, 47-1-1, 33 KO’s successfully defended his title against Amir Khan, 31-4, 19 KO’s. The victory over Khan was not a surprise, and went exactly as most experts predicted. Now it’s time for the million dollar question. Will Canelo give fight fans the biggest fight and arguably the best fight boxing can offer? A fall match-up with the “Big Drama Show” the WBA, IBF, and Interim WBC champion Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, 35-0, 32 KO’s. If Canelo wants to keep the WBC title he has no choice but to face “GGG”.

On Monday the WBC formally ordered both teams to begin negotiating the bout. The WBC has ordered that an agreement be made by both Golden Boy Promotions and K2 by May 24th. If the teams cannot come to an agreement as far as the numbers are concerned the fight will go to purse bid with the split being 55-45 in favor of Canelo. Last year the governing body of the WBC announced that Golovkin was the mandatory challenger for the champion Alvarez, but also decided that each fighter could face one more opponent in the spring of 2016 before their showdown in the fall.

With “GGG” defeating Dominic Wade in late April by knockout, and Canelo crushing Khan over the weekend, the wait to see if this “Super Fight” will be made is nearly over. Negotiations by both camps have started. Canelo who has demanded catch-weights in his last two bouts, no longer holds that leverage over Golovkin as the sanctioning bodies do not honor catch-weight agreements for mandatory challengers. So if Canelo refuses the weight agreement at 160lbs he will be forced to vacate the title to “GGG”. With Golovkin coming off his 22nd straight knockout victory, as well as holding the highest knockout rate in middleweight history he can be considered one of the most dangerous boxers in the world. Canelo is a 25 year old rising superstar being developed as the next face of boxing. Boxing fans deserve this this fight, as fans were left dissatisfied last May in the fight billed as “The Fight of the Century” between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd “Money” Mayweather, JR. failed to live up to the hype. Both fighters collected tons of money and laughed all the way to the bank. It literally was a slap in the face to boxing fans worldwide.

What if Canelo decides to vacate the title? Well, more than likely the “Caneloweight” of 155lbs will live on. One option would be a rematch with Miguel Cotto in September. In a fight that Canelo clearly dominated in November, a rematch with Cotto would ignite the Mexican Puerto Rican rivalry. Cotto is a big name with loyal fans and Miguel owes Roc Nation some fights. No title would be involved and honestly the fan backlash against Golden Boy Promotions would be tremendous.

Another option for Alvarez would be a fight versus David Lemieux. Lemieux who is coming off a big victory on the Canelo-Khan undercard over Glen Tapia would be a great measuring stick for the Mexican superstar Alvarez. Lemieux who was beaten by Golovkin last October, looked strong and gave the fans inside the T-Mobile Arena a show for three rounds before stopping Tapia Saturday night. If the WBC holds true to its promise this fight would also just be another fight for Canelo, as no title would be on the line.

Again I could go on and on about hypothetical match-ups for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, but the consensus is clear. Fight fans from across the globe only want one thing a fight between “GGG” and Canelo.

Boxing cannot continue to let the business aspect control what match-ups are made or not made. The WBA president Gilberto Mendoza, JR. said on Wednesday “The WBA will not interfere in the Golovkin-Canelo negotiations because that is the fight the fans want”. If boxing promotion companies and cable networks want to continue to have the sport grow they must make this fight happen. “GGG” and Canelo are two of the biggest stars in the sport. Their styles create a win – win situation for fans and the respect for both fighters will be that of those of fighters in 80’s. A time when boxing was filled with major stars and sensational fights. IF “GGG” and Canelo fight both fighters will come out proverbial winners.

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