A fight against Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is the most lucrative proposal outside of the heavyweight division but still the unified super-middleweight champion does not have an opponent lined up. Yet, a recent world ranking update may have put a new fighter on his radar.
Canelo had been linked to a showdown with polarising middleweight contender Chris Eubank Jr. in recent weeks as both Eubank and his promoter declared that conversations were underway.
However, Canelo’s trainer and manager Eddy Reynoso has since labelled those comments as ‘false’ and revealed that the Brit has missed his opportunity to face the Mexican pound-for-pound superstar when negotiations collapsed last September.
Instead, Canelo will look elsewhere to source his next dance partner but names such as Christian Mbilli, William Scull and Diego Pacheco do not seem to whet the appetites of fans in the United States.
Another option is newly-crowned WBA interim super-middleweight champion and fan-favourite, Caleb Plant. ‘Sweet Hands’ lost out to Canelo via eleventh round knockout in a clash for the undisputed 168lb throne back in 2021 but since then he has grown a reputation as a ‘take on all comers’ fighter and adopted a more aggressive fighting style.
Yet, there is now a possible contender that Canelo has now already fought, as the WBA have updated their rankings and thrown a new name into the mix, as former unified middleweight champion Jermall Charlo has been installed as the #5 contender, despite the fact that he has not fought since last November and was inactive for almost three years prior.
Canelo famously fought Charlo’s twin brother, Jermell Charlo, last September and was rumoured to be lining up a scrap with Jermall afterwards,. That was until he cruised to a dull unanimous-decision victory that left the fans wanting more, ending whispers of a meeting with his brother amid fears that a scrap Jermall would also underwhelm.
Although, now that he is ranked and Canelo is looking for big name opponents, Jermall Charlo could be the ideal dance partner for the unified champion, especially if the ‘Hit Man’ is able to claim Plant’s interim title in the first half of 2025.
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