What next for Canelo Alvarez

Canelo Alvarez vs Rocky Fielding

AFTER dismantling Rocky Fielding at Madison Square Garden in New York, Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez has a belt in a new weight class, the WBAโ€™s 168lbs โ€˜regularโ€™ title to go with the WBA and WBA middleweight world championships he already holds.

Alvarez now feels capable of continuing to compete in either weight class. โ€œHe showed not only his patience, his great body work but he showed he can hang in there with the big boys at 168lbs,โ€ promoter Oscar De La Hoya said. โ€œI didnโ€™t promote this fight as the toughest for Canelo but it wasnโ€™t the easiest. Just because of the weight difference and moving up in weight and all that.โ€

Already Canelo does have a date and a venue for his next fight. Heโ€™ll box on May 4 2019 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. But his team are keeping their options open as to whom he might fight. โ€œSo weโ€™ve already set aside the T-Mobile for the weekend of Cinco de Mayo in Las Vegas. We have no opponent whatsoever, zero, weโ€™re not even thinking about anybody. Weโ€™re going to enjoy the holidays, weโ€™re going to enjoy being with our families and then as a team collectively we are going to choose who Canelo is going to fight, whether itโ€™s at 168 or 160lbs. So he has many choices right now as we speak,โ€ De La Hoya said.

โ€œHe just came off this fight, weโ€™re going to enjoy this moment. Whether itโ€™s at 168lbs or 160lbs there are plenty of challenges out there for Canelo.โ€

“Canelo has a target on his back. Everybody wants to fight him, everybody wants to challenge him,โ€ De La Hoya adds. โ€œThereโ€™s so many challenges out there for him.โ€

The promoter though insists that Alvarez will resist taking easy options. โ€œWeโ€™re going to go after the top guys. Canelo has been fighting the top guys. Who fights [Gennady] Golovkin back to back? Canelo has proven over and over that Canelo wants to fight the very best. Thereโ€™s no doubt it. Weโ€™re just not saying now who heโ€™s going to fight but fighting at 168lbs has opened the doors to new possibilities, to new opponents. Now he can choose a pool of many, many fighters from 160 to 168lbs. So the pool has gotten bigger,โ€ De La Hoya says, adding, โ€œHe looks solid at 168lbs, he looks comfortable. Iโ€™m still a little wary of facing him with the top, top guys at 168lbs because you never know [but] he looked very comfortable in there.

โ€œWe work with every promoter in the world. We work with anybody to make the best fights happen. Last year we worked with Bob Arum, we made Linares versus Lomachenko and we lost and so be it. But it was great fight. We worked with other promoters, we work with Eddie Hearn. We work with anybody and thatโ€™s not going to change. We are going to bring you the best fights.โ€

canelo alvarez

There are plans for Alvarez to fight three times next year, with Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions president eyeing dates in September and December for Alvarez after his next fight.

There is an interest in Alvarez returning to fight in Mexico at some point. โ€œThis is the wonderful relationship that we have with DAZN, is that we now have the liberty to fight anywhere around the globe whether itโ€™s here in New York, all over the world, including Mexico City and Estadio Azteca. Itโ€™s a big possibility so weโ€™re extremely proud and happy that we can form this alliance with DAZN because theyโ€™ve allowed us to promote Canelo all over the world,โ€ De La Hoya said.

โ€œHe solidified the fact that heโ€™s a global superstar, he can fight anywhere and fill up stadiums, thanks to the fans who make everything happen.

โ€œNow weโ€™re back where the train belongs, on the rails to stardom, to history. The pool is huge now, at 168 or 160lbs and weโ€™re going to challenge the very best.โ€

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