Canelo Alvarez was a wanted man. Eddie Hearn, although they weren’t tied at the hip contractually, always had a leg up on the competition. The British promoter simply had the stable that Alvarez needed. Well, at least he did.
After clearing most of the top names that Hearn had to offer, Alvarez sat back and took a look at his options. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that Alvarez could have signed with anyone. Al Haymon, however, and his fighters over at Premier Boxing Champions, grabbed Alvarez’s attention more than anyone else.
Officially, the Mexican star inked a three-fight deal. The first opponent was a bit of a surprise. Jermell Charlo, the former undisputed and current unified champ at 154 pounds got the call. Although he talked a good game, his offense was innocuous as Alvarez cruised to a unanimous decision victory.
There are two fights left for the pound-for-pound star. It isn’t clear who will be selected but most are hoping that David Benavidez is somewhere in the mix. Abner Mares, by and large, agrees with that statement. With that said, if he was in Alvarez’s shoes, he would wait a bit longer before facing the WBC interim champ.
“Canelo should wait for Benavidez for his last fight,” Mares told 210 Boxing TV.
Waiting might be apropos according to Mares but Benavidez still has work to do. On November 25th, he’ll look to become the first man to hand Demetrius Andrade an L. If the 26-year-old does what he’s predicting, he may very well move to the front of the Canelo Alvarez line.
Still, even if Benavidez shines, Mares would grab the wheel and steer Alvarez in another direction. In the meanwhile, Mares believes that Alvarez could entertain a fight with Jermall Charlo, Jermell’s twin. As long as he emerges from that with his hand held high, then Benavidez should be next.
“His next fight, who knows, maybe the other brother and then at the very end Benavidez. Definitely not now.”
