It’s difficult to trap Canelo Alvarez against the ropes thanks to his slippery defense, but it was even harder to lock him into a long-term deal. For years the Mexican star sauntered around the boxing landscape listening to the best offers. Once he heard what was out there, he signed on for a transient amount of time.
This past May, Alvarez was once again a promotional free agent. Unsurprisingly, he was chased after by practically every big-name promoter and advisor in the world. Tons of cash and elite-level fighters were dangled in front of him.
Alvarez was never in a rush. He simply sifted through every offer and weighed the pros and cons. In the end, Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions were given the nod. Officially, the two have partnered up on a three-fight deal.
Things have already gone smoothly. Alvarez cruised to a unanimous decision victory over blown-up super middleweight contender and former junior middleweight champ, Jermell Charlo. There are now two fights remaining on their iron-clad contract.
Alvarez isn’t the talkative type. Neither is Haymon. The two have reportedly met recently to discuss his next options but nothing concrete has come from those conclaves. For the most part, however, Jermall Charlo, Jermell’s twin brother, is believed to be the front-runner. From there, it’s a guessing game.
Terence Crawford is currently in the weight room attempting to bulk up just in case Alvarez calls, and David Benavidez is crossing his fingers and hoping that his recent deleterious body of work will be enough to earn a shot at the undisputed champ.
Tim Bradley enjoys playing the guessing game. He believes that Jermall Charlo will ultimately get the opportunity to face Alvarez in May, like plenty of others. As for his third and final fight of their deal, Bradley didn’t go with the routine and typical pick of Benavidez, Crawford, or even David Morrell. Instead, he has a feeling that Alvarez is going to face an opponent that no one was quite expecting.
“Don’t be surprised if he fights Errol Spence for that third fight.” Bradley told Pro Box TV.
Fighting Spence would be an arbitrary move. There’s simply no other way to put it, the former unified welterweight champ looked awful when he was last seen against Terence Crawford. But, getting dominated and beaten badly isn’t something that concerns Alvarez according to Bradley. He also isn’t worried about the vitriol and perpetual chastisement that would be coming his way. For whatever reason, Spence simply makes the most logical sense.
“I’m saying he’s gonna fight Spence next.”