Canelo Alvarez Eyes 32-0 WBC Champ Jermall Hitman Charlo for Cinco De Mayo Bout
By Robert Brizel, Head Real Combat Media Boxing Correspondent
San Diego, CA (January 10th, 2022)– Cinco de Mayo fiesta in Mexico will be on Thursday, May 5, 2022. Cinco de Mayo festival holiday weekend. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the anniversary of Mexico’s victory over the French Empire at The Battle of Puebla in 1862. In that, 2022 is the 160th anniversary of Cinco de Mayo. 2022 could bring yet another Canelo mega fight on the anniversary data.
Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, 67-1-2 with 39 knockouts, Guadalajara., Jalisco, Mexico, currently holds the unified World Super Middleweight title (WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF). Canelo was rumored to have the winner of WBC Silver cruiserweight titleholder 23-5 Thabiso Mchunu versus World Boxing Council World Cruiserweight champion Ilunga Junior Makabu on January 29, 2022 in Warren, Ohio in his sights. Makabu versus Mchunu is a rematch of a May 2015 eleventh round knockout won by Makabu at the International Convention Centre in Durban, South Africa.
All of a sudden, Canelo is targeting World Boxing Council World Middleweight champion Jermall Charlo, 32-0 with 22 knockouts, Houston, Texas. Charlo’s last bout was a 12 round title defense decision win over Juan Montiel in June 2021 at Toyota Center Houston.
According to reporter insider Mike Coppinger on January 8, 2021, othe ESPN show State of Boxing, “I’m hearing it’s much more likely that he’s (Canelo Alvarez) gonna fight Jermall Charlo on Cinco de Mayo.” Coppinger’s new statement was a 360 degree turn from his Twitter comments of March 4, 2021, when Coppinger stated “There’s absolutely no truth to the internet rumor that GGG was offered any deal to fight Jermall Charlo, per source. Fake news.”
What will make this bout happen, chatter and rumor aside, is mega cash on the table. When one looks at Tyson Fury and Dillian White, and how the World Boxing Council purse negotiations have been unsuccessful. An 80 percent for the champion, 20 percent for the challenger split is the reason. Charlo, as an established world middleweight champion and current titleholder, will be looking for a spectacular payday. While any mega-fight payday favors Canelo’s camp, the usual WBC 70/30 split, even a 60/40 split plus a negotiable cut on the Pay-Per-View revenue, would sweeten the deal.
Fury versus Whyte is in stalemate. Whyte rejected a 80/20 split now on the table, Canelo’s ability to make the Jermall Charlo mega-fight happen is contingent on what he brings to the table. Charlo, at 32-0, would create the perfect super fight of the year for 2022 if promoted right, and could certainly go the distance. The major faction is Canelo’s weight. Only Canelo knows where he is. Canelo’s super middleweight fight weight between 2020 and 2021 was at 167 and ½ to 168 pounds. Canelo is in a much better position going down to 160 pounds, or bringing Charlo up to 168 pounds, as opposed to going up to 185 to 200 pounds to fight the winner of Mchunu versus Makabu, which would be a substantial weight gain title bout.
Canelo could win the WBC World Cruiserweight title first, then fight Charlo at 160, 168, or a catchweight of 164 to 165 with both of their titles at stake, middleweight and super middleweight, in the mega-fight. More information on the negotiations is probably forthcoming in the weeks to come. More certainly, Canelo Alvarez versus Jermall Charlo is the best fight on the table for Canelo at this time, unless Canelo opts to defend his super middleweight titles against 25-0 David Benavidez, a two-time WBC Super Middleweight world champion. Canelo Alvarez versus Benavidez at 168 pounds is also a great matchup.
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