7 future options for boxing star Canelo Alvarez
Plus, Big Baby steps for Anderson and UK dust-ups
As the news reaches us that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will take part in an undisputed vs. undisputed battle at the end of September, we look at some future options, starting with the man he faces next.
1. Jermell Charlo, Texas, 35-1-1 (19 KOs)
Just when we thought Canelo was about to fight Jermall Charlo, the Mexican threw a curveball and signed to box his brother, Jermell. Does the new Charlo have much of a chance? Well, probably more than you’d think. No doubt Jermell cuts down in weight to make the 154-pound limit. This free shot at the big time will see the Texan bulk up significantly without the tense weight cut. There are also height and reach advantages that the 33-year-old will look to utilise on the night.
Notable wins - Jermell is somewhat of a rematch king. In July 2021 he contested a split draw with Argentina’s Brian Castano in their unification clash. In May 2022 he settled the score with a comprehensive 10th round KO to become the undisputed super-welterweight king. Charlo’s first-round KO of Erickson Lubin in 2017 was also a notable victory.
Notable losses - Tony Harrison was the first man to upset Jermell when he outpointed him narrowly in 2018. As with the Castano fight above, Charlo won the rematch by stoppage. He will need to defeat Canelo the first time, however, as there is unlikely to be any second chances this time.
2. Jermall Charlo, Texas, 32-0 (22 KOs)
If Canelo gets past Jermell then a fight with Jermall already has a built-in “family feud” storyline. The chance for revenge on one side and the opportunity to wipe out both boxing brothers on the other. Jermall was initially expected to end his two-year exile by stepping out against Canelo. The ‘Hit Man’ has been injured and also endured a gruelling court battle for his children while out of the ring.
Notable wins - Charlo enjoyed a stellar 2016 where he knocked out vocal rival Julian Williams at the end of the year having already defeated Austin Trout in May. Most recently a 12-round win over Sergiy Derevyanchenko stands out.
Notable losses - Jermall has never tasted defeat. Like any fighter, he has blown hot and cold at times. Matt Korobov caused him trouble, as did Juan Montiel in his last outing before the extended break.
3. David Benavidez, Las Vegas, 27-0 (23 KOs)
The fight we all want to see. Hopefully Canelo and the ‘Mexican Monster’, as Mike Tyson labelled him, can get it on. Benavidez is now in his prime and seems to have cut out the antics of his early career. Will this version of Canelo be able to cope with the relentless come forward aggression and pressure of the Phoenix firestorm?
Notable wins - David’s last win over Caleb Plant was a great fight which arguably took him to the next level. His beatdown of Anthony Dirrell was also a statement display. The rematch win over Ronald Gavril showed heart and adaptability.
Notable losses - while he sometimes takes a few rounds to warm up and was dropped in the first Gavril fight (which I didn’t think was all that close in the end) nobody has beaten Benavidez.
4. David Morrell, Cuba/Minnesota, 9-0 (8 KOs)
Part of the new breed of Cubans who come to the ring with vicious intent, rather than with a plan to explore every inch of it, Morrell has been a breath of fresh air in the super-middleweight division. Carrying heavy power, ferocious finishing instincts and a likeable personality, Morrell is definitely part of the future. He also brings a passionate fanbase to his adopted Minnesota stronghold. Morrell would present a dangerous assignment as he holds such unwavering confidence in his abilities.
Notable wins - no major names on the record as yet. Morrell has blitzed the likes of Alantez Fox and Yamaguchi Falcao so decisively that his reputation proceeds him. Only the unfortunate Aidos Yerbossynuly has been able to compete with any great consistency and the Kazakh paid a heavy price for his bravery.
Notable losses - Morrell has never been beaten or overly tested while picking up his secondary WBA belt.
David Morrell: Making moves (PBC)
5. Dmitry Bivol, Russia/Los Angeles, 21-0 (11 KOs)
Entering the ring in May 2022, Bivol was viewed by many as a dull and beatable 175-pound champion. We all got it badly wrong. The three cards of 115-113 in Bivol’s favour were home cooked totals as the reality of the fight was closer to 10-2 in Dmitry’s favour. Using his size, range and fantastic engine to combination punch Canelo to a second defeat, Bivol was superior in every area. Alvarez made it clear that he wanted the rematch. A move away from DAZN has made that difficult but not impossible. Will he seek to avenge his loss in the future?
Notable wins - beating Canelo was far and away Bivol’s biggest win. Before that, a 12-round dissection of Sullivan Barrera showcased every element of his game. After bettering Canelo, Bivol outboxed the gigantic Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez in another splendid outing.
Notable losses - Bivol has never lost. He does have a tendency to fight down to the level of his opposition and has gone through the motions when presented with lesser foes. Against the likes of Canelo, Zurdo and, hopefully, Artur Beterbiev, this is not an issue.
6. Demetrius Andrade, Rhode Island, 32-0 (19 KOs)
Not that there is much clamour to see the spidery southpaw in action, but Demetrius Andrade does boast an unbeaten record, quality amateur pedigree and unorthodox skillset. Now 35, Andrade’s prime has frittered away. In 2018 he was due to fight Billy Joe Saunders in Boston before the English southpaw tested positive for a banned substance. Andrade has since half heartedly called out Canelo, only to be comically rebuffed by the pound-for-pound star who questioned his weak body of work.
Notable wins - To say that a 2013 split decision win over Vanes Martirosyan at 154 is probably still his best win sums up Andrade’s stilted career.
Notable losses - ‘Boo Boo’ has yet to taste defeat as a pro.
7. Errol Spence Jr, Texas, 28-0 (22 KOs)
It may sound like a joke to suggest a fight between Canelo and Errol Spence but the notion is gathering pace of late. It would have to happen at some sort of catchweight and is of course dependent on Spence successfully negotiating past the small matter of a fight against Terence Crawford on July 29.
Notable wins - Spence unified the welterweight titles in 2019 by defeating Shawn Porter. Two years before that he travelled to England to take Kell Brook’s IBF crown. Recently, he added a third title to his cupboard with a stoppage of Yordenis Ugas. Fighting Danny Garcia in his comeback bout after the car crash was also impressive.
Notable losses - Spence still retains his coveted 0…for now.
Errol Spence is focused on Crawford (PBC)
OTHER POTENTIAL NAMES FOR CANELO TO FIGHT
Canelo has flirted with the idea of moving up to cruiserweight to fight the likes of Ilunga Makabu or Badou Jack. This is more to do with leverage in negotiations than a genuine move and has never come to fruition. Talk of a move up to heavyweight to fight the likes of Oleksandr Usyk remains in the realms of fantasy.
Canelo was linked to a fight with Edgar Berlanga as DAZN scrambled to find opponents for their golden goose. While the Mexico vs. Puerto Rican angle held some intrigue, it is unlikely Berlanga would have presented a great deal to trouble Canelo before being comprehensively defeated.
WHY DID CANELO SIGN WITH THE PBC?
The DAZN deal and association with Eddie Hearn was only ever an agreement of convenience for Canelo. This one-sided affair had grown stale. The long overdue Golovkin trilogy matchup failed to excite, while the Mexican struggled to motivate himself for the final outing against John Ryder.
Throw in the disastrous misjudgement of a Dmitry Bivol contest, that saw the Jalisco man suffer his second pro loss, and the brand was diminishing as any remaining mystique threatened to disappear.
Signing with the PBC to feature on Showtime as a premium Pay-Per-View attraction serves to reinvigorate Canelo’s product. An element of risk and future possibilities have been inserted back into the narrative.
AMERICA’S NEXT GREAT HEAVYWEIGHT HOPE
Back to the present day action and Jared Anderson bagged 10 rounds of valuable experience with a lopsided points win over Charles Martin in front of a fantastic Toledo crowd. The one-sided scores were accurate even though Martin maintained an element of danger throughout.
We wondered what would happen when Anderson finally fought someone capable of firing back and Martin asked those questions in the fifth as Anderson got caught repeatedly stepping back in straight lines. This came off the back of a tough couple of sessions for the former IBF champion who had previously hit the canvas at the end of the third from a right hand. Complaining that the feet got tangled, replays show that Martin was floored by a legitimate punch as Anderson swayed into the southpaw stance.
Remaining dangerous until the end, mostly due to Anderson’s over exuberance, Martin lacked the engine to sustain any regular offence. Charles was happy to see out the final round, offering little until the remaining 10 seconds when he had Anderson (above left) backing up and on shaky legs for a brief moment.
In a heavyweight battle of two big punchers used to blasting people out in the first round, Arslanbek Makhmudov's extremely aggressive approach paid off first. Opponent Rafael Akpejiori was dropped in the opener from a right uppercut, followed by a chopping right hand. At the end of the same round a left hook had the 6’8" monster wobbling on the ropes.
Barely surviving into the second stanza, a stunned Akpejiori was stopped on his feet after two wild rounds. ‘The Road Warrior’ Glen Johnson was in the Nigerian’s corner. A nice throwback touch but he was unable to help his man, who suffered a first defeat.
NUTHOUSE NOTES
There were two major shows in the UK last weekend, featuring battles of varying quality. On Sky Sports, Savannah Marshall became an undisputed queen at super-middleweight by defeating Franchon Crews Dezurn. Marshall’s feet were slow and she gave up many of her natural advantages by leaning into Crews Dezurn who boasts a style that is unconventional to say the least. Promoter Ben Shalom was talking up a rematch between Marshall and Claressa Shields afterwards which would be a waste of time as the self-styled ‘Gwoat’ is streets ahead of her rival.
On the undercard, 2020 Olympic silver medallist Ben Whittaker toyed with Cork-based brawler Vladimir Belujsky before scoring a premature stoppage in round eight. Whitaker displays a lot of confidence with his in-ring antics, but is it genuine? Showboating and playing to the crowd are entertaining facets of the fight game. Against overmatched opponents it just looks like mockery. The acid test will come when people start hitting back.
Dalton Smith scored one of the knockouts of the weekend when he rewired Sam Maxwell in round seven. Smith’s right hand caught Maxwell high on the head and sent his senses into orbit. The Sheffield victor is a good fighter but suffered cuts over both eyes which threatens to be a recurring problem going forward.
Thanks for reading! Drop a little heart or even a comment if you get a minute. I’d love to hear your thoughts. Speak to you all next week…
About Steve: Experienced boxing writer, author of 8 books and podcaster of over 400 eps. 20 years in the sport. Covered hundreds of shows for newspapers and Boxing News magazine. Chief video script writer for Motivedia channel and BN+. For enquiries: stevenwellings1982@gmail.com.