Canelo Alvarez has been called out for a potential light-heavyweight showdown, against someone who has just pulled off a strong candidate for Upset of the Year.
The Mexican’s only outings at 175lbs came against Sergey Kovalev and Dmitry Bivol in 2019 and 2022, respectively, with both fights producing vastly different outcomes.
Against Kovalev, Canelo scored an 11th-round finish and became a four-weight world champion in the process, but ultimately suffered a comprehensive points defeat to Bivol.
Since then, Alvarez has become a two-time undisputed super-middleweight king, but subsequently lost his crown to Terence Crawford by unanimous decision last September.
Now looking to reclaim at least one of his titles, the 35-year-old is set to face WBC champion Christian Mbilli in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, this coming September.
Regardless of a potential Mbilli fight, though, the father and trainer of light-heavyweight operator Zak Chelli has proposed an alternative option for Canelo.
Chelli engineered a stunning 10th-round finish over David Morrell on Saturday, featuring on the undercard of Fabio Wardley vs Daniel Dubois.
Given Morrell’s status as a top contender, and someone who gave David Benavidez a competitive contest last year, the Cuban’s defeat on UK soil must be considered a monumental upset.
Buoyed by the remarkable result, Zak Chelli Sr told ProBox TV that even Canelo, despite his track record against British fighters, cannot beat his son.
“If he wants [to fight at] light-heavyweight, we can go for Canelo. Why not? Canelo has beaten all the British fighters [he’s faced].
“You cannot beat Zak, Canelo. Give him Zak.”
After having just a few weeks’ notice against Morrell, yet somehow emerging victorious, Chelli has certainly placed himself in the shop window for another major opportunity.
