IT is expected to be announced that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will take on African veteran Joshua Clottey on December 6 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. As previously reported on this site, the bout will be broadcast, free to air, on HBO.
Alvarez’s last three bouts have been on Showtime PPV, but this represents an encouraging move from his promoters Golden Boy, and without the paywall, could attract huge viewing figures – which must be seen as a positive move.
While in Las Vegas recently, Oscar De La Hoya indicated that he hoped to make Canelo-Miguel Cotto for next year. Considering Alvarez is now back on HBO, and the impending Bernard Hopkins-Sergey Kovalev showdown is also on the network, it would not be a surprise to see Canelo-Cotto land on HBO PPV next year.
“It is obviously the fight people want to see,” De La Hoya said about the showdown. “I’m looking forward to sitting down with Cotto and discussing the possibility of making that fight. Outside of [Floyd] Mayweather- [Manny] Pacquiao, it’s the biggest fight in boxing.”
First though, Alvarez must beat Clottey. The 36-year-old Ghanian arguably peaked in 2009, when he beat Zab Judah and went 12 hellacious rounds with Cotto, only to lose a tight decision. But his reputation plummeted the following year when he failed to fight back against Pacquiao and he lost a lopsided verdict.
This year – after years in the wilderness – he regained some relevance when he dominated Anthony Mundine in Australia.
