ALVAREZ-CHAVEZ FIGHT TO BE SCHEDULED BEFORE GGG
By Maloney L. Samaco
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 20 Dec 2016
Golden Boy Promotions has an ongoing deal for a pay-per-view bout between Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (48-1-1, 34KOs) and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (49-2-1, 32KOs) for the much sought Cinco De Mayo weekend in May 6. The catchweight of 165 lbs. could be the problem.
Alvarez recently won the WBO junior middleweight title from Liam Smith on September 17 and he has never fought above 155 lbs. Chavez Jr. who is a former middleweight champion has been fighting under the super middleweight limit of 168 pounds.
Aside from the weight issue there is also a business conflict between Golden Boy and Chavez adviser Al Haymon, whom Golden Boy is suing for $300 million.
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Canelo's camp said the Chavez bout would not hamper the much awaited showdown with Gennady Golovkin next year. But Chavez Jr. has also shown interest in facing GGG, the WBC, WBA, IBF and IBO middleweight champion. If the catchweight of 165 lbs. is final, then Canelo has to increase by 11 lbs. while Chavez will reduce by 3 lbs.
Canelo has refused to fight Golovkin at 160 lbs. but now he is open to facing Chavez at 165 lbs. The Alvarez-Chavez encounter would be an exciting all-Mexican PPV showdown and would surely be a box-office hit. But the boxing world wants to see a Canelo-GGG superfight.
When Alvarez was WBC middleweight champ he refused to defend his title against Golovkin, the mandatory challenger. Canelo reasoned out that he was not a full middleweight fighter. He instead fought for the lower WBC junior middleweight diadem.
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Former four-weight division world champion Miguel Cotto will return to the action after more than a year of inactivity and will clash against James Kirkland on February 25 next year. Both fighters suffered losses to Canelo Alvarez. Cotto lost to the red-haired Mexican by unanimous decision in a very exciting November 2015 encounter while Kirkland was stopped in three rounds in May of the same year.
The protagonists will face in a 12-round super-welterweight fight at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas. Cotto has not fought in that state since his second pro fight in 2001. Cotto's camp had been negotiating with other fighters for his 2017 bout, including Lamont Peterson, but were unable to sign a contract. The 36-year-old Puerto Rican warrior will be ending his illustrious career next year.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Maloney L. Samaco.
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