The Mexican boxer's next fight has not yet been confirmed
Besides having among his plans for Saul Canelo Alvarez to fight outside the United States in 2023, promoter Eddie Hearn wants him to do it in a stadium, because the feeling of seeing him in front of more than 73,000 spectators at the ATT Stadium in Arlington was something incredible that he wants to repeat.
Will Canelo continue to fight in Las Vegas?
And although he acknowledged that taking him out of Las Vegas, a place that has become Canelo's second home, is very complicated and especially on the dates that the Mexican fighter usually fights, such as the weekends of May 5 and September 16, he does not lose hope that his client will return to a stadium.
"I like the idea of doing it in a stadium. He's done fights at the T-Mobile Arena, but I'd like to take him back to a stadium. The last time he fought like that was to beat Billy Joe Saunders, and it was awesome. It would be great to have him fight on May 5 in California. Mexico, of course, would be historic. We'll see where that fight could take place," Eddie Hearn told DAZN Boxing Show.
What are Canelo's options for his next fight?
Canelo has already returned to training to prepare for his first fight of the year, which could be in May and against John Ryder. And although that is the promoter's plan, nothing has been decided, much less the venue, as there are several options to see the undisputed super middleweight champion.
"We are reviewing the various options as to the venue for that fight, which are many and varied. They can fight in the United Kingdom, the Middle East, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Mexico, or wherever. After that, it's very difficult to take him out of Las Vegas because that's his home for the Cinco de Mayo. When you go to another country, everything changes. The time zone is not as forgiving for television and the celebration of Cinco de Mayo is not the same."
Benavidez vs Plant, a real fight
World-class bout to take place on 25 March in Las Vegas
Boxing. Canelo Alvarez wants to appear in a film like David Beckham and there's a documentary in the works
Boxing. Canelo Alvarez hits out at Julio Cesar and calls him "a waste"
There are boxing fights where negotiations seem to go on forever and never come to fruition even after hearing from the various promoters that the deal is practically finalized.
Examples include Fury-Usyk, Gervonta Davis-Ryan Garcia, Terence Crawford-Errol Spence, Wilder-Ruiz... and many others.
Then there are those that close with hardly any noise. Here we can include Haney-Lomachenko (20 May) and Benavidez-Plant, two extraordinary fights that deserve more attention.
The Inoue-Fulton negotiation seems to be progressing quickly and it looks like they will also meet in May.
So, what is now official? Caleb Plant and David Benavidez will meet on March 25 in a super middleweight fight at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas.
For Plant, who is a very complete fighter who caused Canelo a lot of problems, as well as being a former world champion, this is a bout that could either relaunch his career or drag it closer to an end with defeat.
For Benavidez, a fighter who wants to take on the world and is making progress in that endeavor, this is the litmus test of his professional career to this point.
He will face his best opponent to date, as long as Plant shows the same momentum as he did against Canelo.
The Nashville native is technical and he defends beautifully. He knows how to box backwards, something he will need against his next opponent.
This agreement may not be met with the fanfare that would accompany Anthony Joshua vs Tyson Fury being announced, but this is certainly set to be one of the fights of 2023.
Canelo vs Bivol 2 is not a fact, what has to occur for the expected rematch to happen?
The plan is for the Mexican and Russian boxers to face each other again in September
Saul Canelo Alvarez has already returned to training and what the undisputed super middleweight champion is looking for is to prove that his left hand is fine after the surgery he underwent. If everything goes according to plan, the Mexican fighter would return to action in May, possibly against John Ryder, and would put his four 168-pound titles on the line against Dmitry Bivol in September
The plan for Canelo vs. Bivol 2
This was confirmed by promoter Eddie Hearn, who in a talk on the DAZN Boxing Show spoke about the current status of Canelo, who has not confirmed anything about the immediate future of the Mexican-born fighter and also does not assure that he will face Bivol, but commented that there is a good chance that they can make it happen.
"The fight between Canelo and Bivol is not a done deal. Obviously, representing both boxers we have a good chance of making it, but the question for Bivol is, is he happy to make that fight at 168 pounds? His initial answer is yes, because he has a chance to be undisputed in that class (super middleweight). Plus, he's the favorite because of his last performance," Hearn said.
But before the negotiations for that fight continue, he knows he has to solve the left hand situation, and the possible fight with Ryder would be determinant to know the status of Canelo, although because of his status as champion in 4 organisms he would have more options of rivals.
"Canelo wants to fight in May. That's still his plan: to face John Ryder, although there are also other options on the table. He has a series of mandatory fights. Right now he is back after surgery. Saul's and Eddy Reynoso's thinking is that they have to come back and make sure the hand is okay, before going into the biggest fight of his career, which is the rematch with Bivol."
Deontay Wilder says Andy Ruiz Jr. is a good fighter: 'But it's not going to be enough for me'
The fight is yet to be confirmed, but many believe this is Wilder's best option for his next bout.
Deontay Wilder continues to make preparations while still trying to secure his first fight of 2023, with many believing that the American will face Andy Ruiz Jr. next, after having defeated Robert Helenius in the first round of their bout three months ago.
This fight meant the snapping of a two fight losing streak by Wilder, who lost his two bouts against Tyson Fury in 2020 and 2021.
Deontay Wilder doesn't think Andy Ruiz can beat him
Andy Ruiz Jr. defeated Anthony Joshua in a huge surprise and upset in the heavyweight division a couple of years ago, since then he's been able to face some other big names opponents and now Deontay Wilder might be in his future.
But Wilder doesn't seem to think that the Mexican can beat him.
"Andy is a good fighter. I like his speed, his willingness, and his bravery, but it's not going to be enough for me, though."
Deontay Wilder, who's 37 years old, would also like to face Anthony Joshua, but the British and him haven't been able to reach an agreement on the fight terms, with Wilder even expressing that Joshua is not willing to enter the ring, despite being offered $50 million dollars.
"Everybody should've known when the $50 million was offered, and he didn't take it. Even moving forward, Joshua doesn't want to fight. They should have known then there was something fishy about it."
Eddie Hearn confirms Bivol vs Canelo II would likely happen at 168 pounds, not 175
Canelo Alvarez wants his rematch against Bivol but he won't fight at Light Heavyweight again
Promoter Eddie Hearn doesn't represent Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez but he does have a good relationship with him. This goes to the point where Canelo has allowed Hearn to promote some of his fights, this included the one he lost against Dmitry Bivol at Light Heavyweight. Back in May, 2022, the Mexican champion decided to fight outside of his comfort zone at 175lb of weight. He fought the reigning Light Heavyweight champion and found out the massive difference that a weight class can make. Now that he tested this area, Canelo wants Bivol to go down to Super Middleweight and fight him in his comfort zone.
This means Canelo is not willing to fight at Light Heavyweight again, he knows the task is incredibly difficult and almost impossible for him. However, he does consider Dmitry Bivol could go down to his weight class and still be a frightening opponent. As it turns out, Bivol tasted Canelo's blood and that made him think he can strip the Mexican fighter out of all his belts. Promoter Eddie Hearn was recently on DAZN talking about the possibility of getting a second fight between these two in a different weight class. He completely shut down the chance of Canelo fighting at Light Heavyweight again but he left an open door for the rematch at Super Middleweight.
Boxing. Bivol drops hint about rematch with Canelo: I want more championships
Boxing. Dmitry Bivol changes his mind again and says he would give a rematch to Canelo Alvarez
Promoter Eddie Hearn doesn't represent Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez but he does have a good relationship with him. This goes to the point where Canelo has allowed Hearn to promote some of his fights, this included the one he lost against Dmitry Bivol at Light Heavyweight. Back in May, 2022, the Mexican champion decided to fight outside of his comfort zone at 175lb of weight. He fought the reigning Light Heavyweight champion and found out the massive difference that a weight class can make. Now that he tested this area, Canelo wants Bivol to go down to Super Middleweight and fight him in his comfort zone.
Hearn feels optimistic about Canelo vs Bivol II
Here's what Eddie Hearn recently told DAZN: "Firstly, the Bivol fight is not done, but obviously representing both fighters we have got a good chance of getting that made. The key for Dmitry Bivol is 'are you happy to take that fight at 168?'. The initial feedback is 'yes', he's got the chance to be undisputed out the blue at 168, some might even make him a favourite going into that fight after that last performance. Canelo Alvarez still wants to fight in May, the plan is still for it to be against John Ryder, there are some other options on the table as well."
Canelo is already thinking about his return to the ring and is back to training
The Mexican champion is expected to have his next fight in May
With John Ryder as one of the main options to return to the ring next May, Saul Canelo Alvarez has already returned to training and started his preparation for his first fight of the year, which could be in Mexico or England, but nothing is official yet. What is a fact is that the Mexican champion is back in the gym.
Canelo Alvarez fought for the last time on September 17, 2022, when he defeated Gennady Golovkin by unanimous decision in the third fight between them, in Las Vegas. After beating the Kazakh boxer, he announced that he had a left hand injury and would have to have surgery, which he did weeks later.
But he had said that at the beginning of 2023 he would have to test his left hand when punching to see if he was ready to fight, something that is still unknown, but trainer Eddy Reynoso posted on his Instagram account a video of the fighter from Guadalajara back in the gym.
When will Canelo Alvarez return to the ring?
In the images shared by Canelo on the same social network, the undisputed super middleweight champion can be seen doing waist movements and working with the sack, already thinking about his first fight of the year, which would be in May.
John Ryder, who is the interim WBO 168 lbs. super middleweight champion, is one of the opponents who could face Canelo and promoter Eddie Hearn has mentioned the possibility of making the fight. And although everything points to England as the venue, it is not ruled out that Canelo will fight in his country, something he has been looking for since last year, but could not materialize. What is a fact is that Canelo is already back to work and is getting ready to return to the ring.
Deontay Wilder: 'Usyk vs Fury winner depends on who cheats the hardest'
'The Bronze Bomber' fought Fury three times between 2018 and 2021
Deontay Wilder thinks that in the fight between Oleksandr Usyk and Tyson Fury, the one who cheats the hardest will win.
