For sure, it is not the first time, and it will not be the last one, that Canelo Alvarez is threatened in the ring. Being the Pound for Pound King of boxing comes along with those situations, and one of the possible rivals for Alvarez’s next fight in May has joined the list of boxers that claim to have the power to send him to the canvas.
Recently, Eddy Reynoso, Canelo’s trainer, and manager has shared that the Mexican Superstar is planning to reduce his pace in 2022: he is just going to make 2 fights for sure; maybe one more if the conditions are set to do it in Mexico, at the Azteca Stadium if it is possible.
With only 2 confirmed dates on his calendar, the possibilities of meeting Canelo Alvarez in the ring dramatically fall for all of the fighters that have raised their hand to clash with the Unified World Super middleweight Champion. So, it becomes essential to make enough noise to be considered as Alvarez’s possible rival.
The boxer that promises to knock Canelo Alvarez out
The Cruiserweight division was shocked in December 2021 when Eddy Reynoso asked the WBC to allow Canelo to challenge his champion of thatcategory, Ilunga Makabu. After the Congolese overcamethe mandatory fight he already had scheduled, he is now in a position to meet the Guadalajara native in the ring. He feels so confident in his skills that he has sent an intimidating message to Alvarez.
“Canelo is a Superstar and I am also a Superstar but coming into the Cruiserweight division is very dangerous… He wants to play and make jokes with boxing, but boxing is a virtuous game. If he comes up to Cruiserweight he is going to get knocked out badly, because I can box and also knock out. If Canelo thinks he is a hard puncher here, he is making a big mistake. He is not a Cruiserweight“, stated Makabu in the post-press conference of his mandatory fight.
Makabu, 29-2-0 (25 KO’s), is promoted by legendary Don King. He holds a ten-fight winning streak since he lost to British Tony Belew in 2016. In January 2020, he becamethe WBC World Cruiserweight Champion after upsetting Polish Michal Cieslak with a Unanimous Decision victory.
The 34-year-old Cruiserweight Champion Ilunga Makabu waits for Canelo. (Valery Sharifulin\TASS via Getty Images)
Is Canelo really fighting Makabu for the Cruiserweight title?
Several reports, and a statement made by Eddy Reynoso, doubt about Canelo Alvarez going for a World title in a fifth division. This will mean that Ilunga Makabu’s chances to fight the Mexican star are not as high as the boxing community expected after Reynoso’s formal request to WBC to fight for the Cruiserweight belt.
Names as WBC World Middleweight Champion Jermall Charlo , at the top of the list, World Light heavyweight Kings Dmitry Bivol , Artur Beterbiev , Joe Smith Jr., and even Gennady Golovkin are reported to have more opportunities to be picked up by Canelo than Ilunga Makabu.
