The fighter has held the IBF Super Middleweight title since 2019. Since September 2021, he has been the seventh best active super middleweight boxer by BoxRec, second best by ESPN, as well as third by the Ring. It was almost to the day two years prior that Alvarez wrapped up his 2019 Fighter of the Year campaign, in that very same arena and where he became a three-division titlist. Of course, neither fighter were mentioned in the same sentence when Ward was still active as a pro. Ward brought up his bonds with welterweights Shawn Porter and Terence Crawford by way of analogy; Porter and Crawford are scheduled to face each other in a title bout on Nov. 20 in Las Vegas. Daniel Jacobs: The deal that Jacobs (37-3, 30 KO) had with DAZN and Matchroom ended with his dreadfully boring and controversial win over Gabe Rosado on Nov. 27, but despite a lackluster outing in every way, Jacobs will still be in demand. When HBO got out of the boxing business shortly after, Canelo signed a record deal with DAZN, which didn’t really come close to its original plan, which was for 11 fights.
Alvarez got that deal ended last year, but still fought his last three bouts on DAZN, anyway, working with Matchroom Boxing for wins over Callum Smith, Avni Yildirim, and Billy Joe Saunders. DAZN, who currently deals with Hearn but has none in place with Canelo, doesn’t currently offer a paid outlet. Despite this fact, Hearn has already predicted the four-weight world champion’s next two fights. The bad news is that since Showtime is a US network, you cannot access the livestream if you live in any other part of the world. “It’s new for me to have this much bad blood with an opponent. But “Boo Boo” is a 32-year-old, 12-year pro who still carries little name value for his level and experience, because his biggest wins in all that time have come over Jack Culcay and Maciej Sulecki and Vanes Martirosyan, and the Martirosyan fight was so long ago now (2013) that mostly it’s been forgotten. Guys at the Yildirim (21-3, 12 KO) level get high rankings all the time. Alvarez, 31, is a heavy betting favorite, and believes as many do that his experience in fights of this level will be a big benefit. Not fighting would also disrupt a busy run for Alvarez, who has been the most active superstar we've seen in some time with three fights since December.
Speaking about their big press conference dust-up, where Plant left with a scratch on his cheek and was very emotionally charged - but also drew rare public fire out of Canelo - the Mexican superstar said he’s not concerned about it now. The two sides were working out intense negotiations behind the scenes for an upcoming September 18th showdown. After two wins over Spike O’Sullivan and Tureano Johnson to kick off his run at 160 after winning a belt at 154, Munguia could be poised to strike as a middleweight, or at least give it his best effort. His win over David Lemieux still resonates with some because he looked so sharp doing it in 2017, but Lemieux has also lost to Marco Antonio Rubio and an aged Joachim Alcine, and while those L’s came in 2011, it’s not like he ever got notably better. But the 24-year-old is still young, still constantly trying to get better with trainer Erik Morales, and the time just might not be right to take the gamble against Gennadiy.
After Canelo’s treatment, Andrade knows better than to ask him for a fight. This will be Canelo’s first fight off of DAZN since his 2018 win over Gennadiy Golovkin and his first fight for Showtime since a 2014 win over Erislandy Lara. This would also be Canelo’s first fight off of DAZN since Sept. “I’ve never been involved in anything like what happened at the first press conference between me and Caleb. Canelo Alvarez is headed back to Showtime and his first bout is officially inked. A 5-1 underdog despite being an undefeated champion, Bivol consistently beat Alvarez to the punch and wasn’t afraid to trade inside with him. He most recently beat Caleb Truax in January in Los Angeles via unanimous decision. Canelo is not due to announce his May bout until late January at the earliest. As if to prove this latter truth, in round six Canelo landed a series of thudding shots and then strode forward with his hands down, demonstrating zero respect for Plant’s abilities to trouble him in any way. If Canelo wins, then he’s got belts at 160 and 168, at least for the moment.