The mystery surrounding who undisputed super middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez 60-2-2 (39) will face next continues to deepen.
The 33-year-old Mexican superstar revealed on Tuesday that he would be facing an American next, ruling out a bout with undefeated countryman Jaime Munguia 43-0 (34).
“I always try to fight in May and September, the Mexican dates,” Alvarez said to Box Azteca. “I always like to look for those dates. We are fine-tuning some details for the May fight, but it’s going to be an interesting fight as I always like for the people.”
The three names in the frame are former two-weight undisputed champion Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford 40-0 (31), WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo 33-0 (22) and top 168-pound contender David Benavidez 28-0 (24).
Reputable boxing publication The Ring reported earlier this week that it would be the 33-year-old Charlo who would land the plum assignment eight months after Alvarez defeated his brother and former undisputed junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo 35-2-1 (19).
In a video posted to his verified Instagram account on Wednesday afternoon, Charlo took time out from a family vacation in the Turks and Caicos Islands to address the rumours.
“I haven’t even talked to Al Haymon since I last fought,” Charlo said. “Everyone is like ‘You about to fight Canelo’… ain’t no confirmation. I’m in the islands somewhere.”
That would seemingly leave 36-year-old welterweight Crawford and the 27-year-old Benavidez as the last two horses in the race.
Alvarez was asked in an interview with Box Azteca if a fight with Crawford would be a possibility.
“No,” he said. “So now if you imagine Crawford as a welterweight. 168-pounds, I have everything to lose and nothing to gain because if I win, they’ll say, ‘Oh, he was too small’ and everything.”
Now let’s hand the mic to Benavidez’s promoter Sampson Lewkowicz, who was asked by ProBox TV if there was a fight with Alvarez in his boxer’s future.
“No,” Lewkowicz said. “Canelo Alvarez will make his legacy and his legacy will be stained because he did not fight the best at this time which is Benavidez.
“I think the children, maybe the grandchildren one day, will ask him why he did not fight Benavidez, because [Canelo] says he wants the best fights, but that’s the best fight. Now he says he’s going to fight an American [in Las Vegas on May 4], at one moment in the contract it was Charlo, now we don’t know who the American might be.
“We have an idea of who it might be, but since I’m not involved in those negotiations I can’t say who it is because I don’t know, but I do know that Canelo’s legacy will be tarnished.”
So who will it be? For now, the question remains.