Will One Of Eddie Hearn’s Fighters Face Off Against Canelo Alvarez?
Over the past few weeks, there have been rumors of multiple fighters being in consideration to face off against Canelo Alvarez in September. This comes after Billy Joe Saunders opted out of facing the middleweight king. Although there are plenty of options, there can only be one choice. Who will it be?
Matchroom Boxing’s Eddie Hearn discussed some of the options on his side that have been offered a fight with the Golden Boy-represented Canelo (53-1-2). Both brands work under the DAZN banner. He believes his side could be close to securing a deal.
“I put forward to Golden Boy three or four weeks ago Dmitry Bivol (the WBA light-heavyweight champion), Demetrius Andrade (the WBO middleweight champion), Callum Smith and John Ryder and I said this is all the money they want,” Hearn stated, via Boxing Scene.
“The only one there has been a discussion about is Callum Smith. So far.”
Ryder, a former super-middleweight champion, has been feeling confident about a potential Canelo fight. The man who beat him in Smith would also love a fight, but doesn’t believe Golden Boy will choose him. The WBA and The Ring Super-Middleweight Champion may end up being the best bet for Canelo, however .
“There have been no discussions about John Ryder at all. I do believe he is in the mix,” Hearn went on to say. “But we haven’t had an offer, we have not discussed money. We have discussed money on Callum Smith and we are not quite where we need to be.
“We are not a million miles away but it is seven weeks this coming Saturday. Luckily, Callum Smith is ready to go, John Ryder s ready to go.”
In a match between Canelo and Gennadiy Golovkin in 2018, a rematch from a draw the year before, Canelo beat GGG via majority decision, winning the WBA, WBC and The Ring Middleweight Titles. Since then, Canelo has won the WBA Super-Middleweight Title (v. Rocky Fielding), the IBF Middleweight Title (v. Daniel Jacobs), and the WBO Light-Heavyweight Title (v. Sergey Kovalev).
Other fighters in mind to face Canelo include Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Jermall Charlo, Anthony Dirrell, and Caleb Plant. Willie Monroe Jr. has even come up as an option. A trilogy bout with Golovkin wouldn’t happen until at least 2021. Golden Boy and DAZN are looking at the next big money fight for Canelo, even if fans won’t be allowed in an arena to watch it.
While Golden Boy President Eric Gomez would state it would be easier if a competitor can either be or fight in the United States, Hearn believes that Canelo would want the best deal for him.
“You don’t have to sell tickets anymore, but you still want a lot of notice for a fight like that… I don’t know Canelo personally but I do get a feeling that he wants to face the champion and I think is he had his choice, he would choose Callum Smith, if money allows it,” Hearn stated.