On Monday, news emerged that undisputed super middleweight champ Canelo Alvarez would be making an announcement concerning his boxing career on Mexican channel TV Azteca. Just that piece of information went viral.
Is it a fight announcement? Is it a promoter switch? Is it a retirement? Well, it’s none of the above.
Canelo, who is boxing’s biggest star, has announced that he’s extending his contract with TV Azteca for another year. This means that the future Hall of Famer’s fights will still be shown for free in his home country. The four-weight world champ has made it a priority to avoid the pay-per-view market in Mexico since he crossed over to that platform in other locations, specifically the U.S.
In terms of upcoming fights, all that Canelo revealed was that he would return on May 4 in Las Vegas, which most fans had already anticipated. For several years now, Cinco De Mayo weekend has been a staple of Canelo’s schedule, as has Mexican Independence Day in mid-September.
Despite the lack of an official fight announcement, rumors abound that Canelo will face WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo. That story was broken by The Ring’s Joe Santoliquito on Monday.
The possibility of a Canelo vs. Charlo bout has not gone over well among fans. In his most recent outing, in September, Canelo thoroughly outclassed Jermall’s twin brother, Jermell, in a lackluster bout in Las Vegas. Just as was the case with that fight, Jermall Charlo will be the smaller man and has been woefully inactive in recent years. This is history repeating.
Bottom line: fans are anxious to see Canelo mix it with the most dangerous fighter in the division. That man is David Benavidez.