Canelo Alvarez Could Face Badou Jack Or Jermall Charlo Next
Canelo Alvarez’s next opponent is about to become very clear soon.
Amer Abdullah, the director of Skills Challenge, has stated that a deal for a Alvarez fight with WBC cruiserweight champion Badou Jack has been ‘90%’ agreed.
The news would suggest that talks of a Canelo rematch with Dmitry Bivol are unlikely to lead to an agreement.
Talks between the two camps have been hampered by claims that Bivol wants a fight at 168 lbs for Canelo’s undisputed super middleweight titles, while the Mexican wants a rematch on the same terms.
Canelo is planning his fall fight and two leading candidates have emerged, sources told ESPN: Jermall Charlo and Badou Jack.
Alvarez and Eddy Reynoso met with Al Haymon in the Cleveland area last week, sources said, where a Charlo fight was discussed. https://t.co/b728z8GPdu
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) June 13, 2023
With that being said, the attention has now turned towards Jack. Victory here would boost Canelo’s legacy and make him a five-division champion.
Currently, Canelo is a four-division champion from light middleweight to light heavyweight, which includes being a unified champion in three divisions.
While a fight with Jack is being considered, there is one stumbling block. Canelo reportedly wants a catch weight, given that the cruiserweight limit is 200 lbs.
That would be a massive jump up in weight for Alvarez, whose heaviest weight has been at light heavyweight.
A compromise would have to be reached, though, as requiring the 39-year-old Jack to make a massive drop down may not be feasible at his age.
With that being said, Abdullah had this to say.
“We’re talking to Canelo directly, and we manage and oversee Badou. There is the intention to have the fight. We have 90% of the terms agreed to.
“I think the only thing that’s sticking now is what the weight is because the financial terms are agreed on the date is agreed on. Everything is there, but the weight is the sticking point,” Abdullah
If the bout with Jack does not get made, Alvarez is reportedly considering facing WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo.
The latter has been inactive for two years since his victory over Juan Macias Montiel.
This would be the prime time to face Charlo, especially since there are question marks over the Mexican’s current form, having failed to knock out Gennady Golovkin and John Ryder following his loss to Bivol.
And according to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, Canelo’s team have already had talks to see if the bout can get made.
Jack's manager, Amer Abdallah, is the Head of Boxing for Saudi Arabia-based Skill Challenge Entertainment, a boxing promotion led by Prince Khalid bin Abdulaziz.
Abdallah told ESPN on Monday that "the big items are agreed upon, which is an approximate date" and "the financials"…
— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) June 13, 2023