Four-weight world champion, Mikey Garcia, has laid out his prediction ahead of Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s third defence of his undisputed super-middleweight titles against current undisputed super-welterweight champion, Jermell Charlo.
Alvarez claimed the last of the 168lb quartet when he defeated Caleb Plant by eleventh-round knockout in November 2021.
Since then, the 33-year-old has stepped up to light-heavyweight to take on Dmitry Bivol, picking up his first defeat in almost nine years, before returning back to super-middleweight to defend his throne.
Canelo completed a famous trilogy over an ageing Gennadiy Golovkin last September, outpointing ‘Triple G’ in an underwhelming performance in which many fans felt he should have got the stoppage.
Eight months later, the former pound-for-pound star returned to fight in Mexico for the first time in over a decade, claiming victory over John Ryder in another performance that has fans believing that he could be on the slide.
Despite usually fighting two weight-classes above his opponent, Canelo faces a tough task in the form of the slick Jermell Charlo, but Mikey Garcia told ES News that he believes that the more natural 168lber will come out on top.
“I think that Canelo wins that fight with Charlo, it won’t be an easy fight, Charlo can box and he’s tall and he’s a good fighter. But, I think Canelo should win, that’s kind of like the safe [pick].”
Charlo is stepping up two weight classes to face the Mexican, and despite the lack of apparent size difference, will be contending with a whole new level of power in this heavier division.
The fight will take place on September 30 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, live on Showtime PPV in the States and with a UK broadcaster set to be announced imminently.