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.

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 ChampionJermall 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.

Jumping into another weight class is not a new matterfor the current Pound for Pound King. He has started his professional careerin 2005 as a Junior middleweight (140 lbs); since then, he has climbed up to the175 poundscategory, conquering World beltsin Superwelter, Middle, Super middle, and Light heavyweight.

If the fight against Ilunga Makabu is done and Canelo Alvarez succeedson his mission, he would be joininga selected group of legendsthat have won World titles in five differentweight classes. The most recent boxer that has been added to this list is mighty MannyPacmanPacquiao.

The reasons why Canelo could not triumph in the Cruiserweight division

Since March 2021, Lawrence Okolieis the WBO World Cruiserweight Champion. The British boxer is 17-0-0 (14 KO’s) and is defending histitle againstPolish Michal Cieslak in February. Nevertheless, if he maintains hiscrown and Canelo defeats Makabuhe does not expectto meet withAlvarez in the 200 lbs division cause he thinks the Mexicanmight not be able to compete in that weight.

“He and Makabu is actually an interesting fight that makes you go ‘oh, who do I favor in that one?’ I’m realistic and I just can’t see me and Canelo fighting, I’d be so shocked if they wanted that fight. Not because they’re scared or anything but just the height difference, the weight difference, the strength it’s just too much“, stated Okolie according toBoxing Scene.

Also, for the London nativeChampion, of 6′ 5″ tall, even Canelo may have proven to be the ongoing best fighterof the world, there are limits that he can not surpass: “He’s probably the best in the world at the moment, a very talented fighter, butthere arejust limitations to the human body. That is that someone who weighs in 200-pounds vs someone who’s able to weigh in at 168-pounds, not to mention what they are on the day. It would be nice for my bank account and of course my legacy, but I just can’t see it happening personally“.

Of course, even all the following clashes are already signed, the world has and faces right nowa very skillfulrival, the pandemic due to COVID-19, that is capable of causing last minutes changes, such as the recently announced for January 15: WBO Light heavyweight champion Joe Smith Jr‘s rival Callum Johnson was ruled out due to the virus.

The first 3 months of 2022 bring to the boxing fans all kinds of bouts: the nostalgic ones, such as the comeback of former World Middleweight Champion Sergio Martinez vs Macaulay McGowan; those of vindication, being Keith Thurman vs Mario Barrios and Amir Khan vs Kell Brook, and the ones for supremacylike Charlo vs Castaño II, Josh Taylor vs. Jack Catterall andClaressa Shields vs. Ema Kozin.

The best upcoming boxing fights in 2022’s first trimester

The attention is stolen by Claressa Shields vs. Ema Kozin. The undefeated Russian Kozin wants to take away T-Rexbelts collection:WBC, IBF, and WBA women’s Middleweight titles. Besides Shields, just Unified Lightweight Champion Katie Taylor, and legend Amanda Serrano can be named as the current Pound for Pound best female fighters.

When a Unified World Champion comes to the ring is impossible not to stare at him. This is the case of Scottish Josh Taylor who exposes all of his Junior welterweight titles against undefeated Jack Catterall. This war’s winner may have the right to meet former WorldLightweight Champion Teofimo Lopez in the ring in the last months of 2022.

The young blood of boxing wants to grow up quickly by winning interesting fights to have the right to demand top-class opponents. We are talking about Jaime Munguia and Vergil Ortiz Jr.. Both need to confirm what everybody expects of them with convincing victories against D’Mitrius Ballard and Michael Mckinson.

Finally, a World Champion in four weight classes comes back after suffering his first and terrifying knockout courtesy of GervontaTankDavis: Leo TerremotoSanta Cruz. The Mexican champ meets KeenanBedoCarbajal in Las Vegas. Could Leo be able to recover from the darkest episode of his career?

The whole list of the next best upcoming fights

-March 4,Jose Ramirez vsJose Pedraza, Super lightweight

-March 5, Roman Gonzalez vs Julio Cesar Martinez, WorldSuper flyweight

-March 19 Vergil Ortiz Jr. vsMichael McKinson, Welterweight

Edgar Berlanga vs Steve Rolls, Super welterweight

-March 26, Kiko Martinez vsJosh Warrington, IBF World Featherweight title

In the last WBC Convention, celebrated in Mexico City, Reynoso shocked the entire world with theunbeleivable request he made to Mauricio Sulaiman, the president of organization at hand. He wants Canelo to join Hearns, Leonard, De la Hoya, Mayweather and Pacquiao in the list of boxers with World Titles won in 5 different weight classes.

This petition takes Alvarez to challenge Ilunga Junior Makabu, the current WBC World Cruiserweight Champion. Considering that Mexican Superstar started his career on 147 lbs, try to conquer a 53 libs higher belt sounds crazy at least.

The surprise that Canelo received from Eddy Reynoso

The Pound for Pound king wastotally sincere on an interview given to World Boxing News: he did not know about Eddy Reinoso’s plan to challenge Ilunga Junior Makabu, WBC Cruiserweight World Champion, until the formal request has been done by his manager.

In fact, Canelo mentioned to reporter Dan Rafaelthat he found out his new and exciting challenge thanks to the web whispers on his mobile phone:“I didn’t even know about that; I heard about it on social media what Eddy did.”

Nevertheless, the Pound for Pound king states something clear. He fully trusts on Eddy Reynoso, so he leaves, as he has done for almost 17 years, his career on his hands:“Like I always say, if Eddy says something or he tries to do something crazy, I’m always in. I’m his warrior.”

On January 2022, Canelo Alvarez and Eddy Reynoso will sit down and define the details that need to be done to make real the fight against Makabu, maybe for May, one of his predilect months to fight as part of mexican 5 de Mayocelebration.

On 2021, Canelo simply cleaned up the Super middleweight division: after taking Callum Smith‘s belt on December 2020, he schooled the turkish bum Avni Yildirim; silenced the trash talk of Billy Joe Saunders with a fracture of his orbital cheekbone, and made Caleb Plant suffer the first KO on hiscareer. It is almost unanimus on boxing family: he is the Pound for Pound king right now.

What would Saúl Álvarez need to do not to only maintain himself on the top of hill? On his short horizon, there is a huge challenge: become the first mexican to win a championship on the Cruiserweight division, but: is there something else Canelo could do to turn 2022 into the best year of his career? Let’s offer him an ambitious plan.

Canelo’s route to be a roaring success on 2022

February: the year must start soon for Álvarez.He will need to embrace the rush to achieve the goal. Taking advantage of the cancelation of hisscheduled fight on December in Japan, Gennadiy Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs)could be the better way to begin the 2022.

If in the equation are combined a huge rivalry, such as Canelo vs GGG, and a very expected comeback to his country, the result could not be other than greatness. The pride of Guadalajara could put a solid end to the war with Golovkin, if he defeats him in front of his warm mexican fans.

May: another step into inmortality. After Eddy Reinoso‘s, Canelo’s manager and trainer,formal petition on the WBC Convention in Mexico, the whole world of boxing confirmed what a few imagined as a crazy dream:Saúl Álvarez trying togeta belt on a fifth division, the Cruiserweight.

The congolese Ilunga Junior Makabu (28-2-0, 25 KOs) is supposed to expose his WBC Cruiserweight World Championship against the mexican star. He “just” needs to defeat firstThabiso Mchunu, the mandatory rival of the division, in a bout scheduled on January 29. Be it Makabu or Mchunu, the challenge is huge for Canelo because of the height and weight difference: jump from 168 lbs to the limit of 200 lbs.

September: twice is better than once. Álvarez would have a few recovery time but it would be well worth it. Many of boxing fans and experts think the Pound for Pound king should try to conquer the Light heavyweight division instead of dreaming with the Cruiserweight. Time to please them.

Artur Beterbiev, the russian lion, is a really tough opponent: 16 pro fights, all won by the way of knockout, and current WBC and IBF Lightheavyweight Champion of the World. With 36 years above, Beterbiev would be delighted to risk his belts against Canelo for the biggest payday of his life. A really difficult one for the mexican.

December: a Christmas gift for boxing fans. If conquering belts, divisions and records is not enough for Álvarez, why not to try to invade new markets? Saúl has said many times that he would love to fight outside the US territory.

The perfect stage is Japan, where local star Ryota Murata could represent a nice test for Canelo’s skills. Just as Rocky won russian’s people love defeating Ivan Drago,the mexican star would try overcome not only Murata but the thorny asian crowd and judges.