CANELO ALVAREZ will not box again this year. An injury to his right hand will keep him sidelined until 2017, which means hopes for a much anticipated clash with middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin will have to remain on ice for the time being at least.
Canelo sustained the injury while winning the WBO super-welterweight title from Liam Smith at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas last Saturday. He maintains he will ultimately move up to middleweight.
In a statement his team said: “Today Canelo Alvarez visited specialist Dr. Pedro Jaime Lomeli, after injuring his right hand during his ninth round knockout victory overLiam “Beefy” Smith to win the WBO Junior Middleweight World Championship on September 17, 2016.
“After taking x-rays and conducting a CT scan, the doctor found an avulsion fracture of the right thumb. Canelo does not need surgery and the prognosis is excellent.
“Canelo’s hand will be immobilized for the next six weeks, and he will be unable to fight again in 2016.
“This does nothing to Canelo’s plans to move up and take on the best in the middleweight division next year.”