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Canelo Alvarez won’t be taking a wait-and-see approach to figure out which weight class he will be fighting at.
The four-division champion at 154, 160, 168 and 175 is declaring that he will be a super middleweight for the foreseeable future.
Alvarez is the WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine super middleweight champion. If he beats Billy Joe Saunders on May 8, he will add the WBO crown as well.
The only major title that will be left for Alvarez to win after that would be the IBF belt held by Caleb Plant.
Alvarez (55-1-2, 37 KOs) is eyeing a September showdown with the Tennessean with hopes of becoming the unified and undisputed champion at super middleweight.
“168 is my weight,” Alvarez told BoxingScene.com in an interview.
Alvarez said he plans on sitting at the top of the division even if he has all of the titles and take on all challengers at 168.
The Mexican star will have a series of credible foes to consider, highlighted by the likes of former two-time super middleweight champion David Benavidez as well as Jermall Charlo, Demetrius Andrade and Gennadiy Golovkin whenever they all choose to move up from middleweight.
Alvarez stepped up to light heavyweight and knocked out Sergey Kovalev to win the 175-pound WBO crown in 2019. It was his first and only fight in the division.
Trainer Eddy Reynoso has recently hinted that Alvarez could fight unified light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev in 2022. His newfound position was different from earlier this year when the coach said it’s unfair to ask Alvarez to fight at 175 pounds.
In the meantime, Saunders stands in the way of Alvarez’s master plan. The 30-year-old remains unbothered by the potential difficulties the British boxer may present.
“Billy Joe Saunders is not a problem. I enjoy that. I enjoy the fights. That’s not a problem. That’s a solution for me. I just have to do my thing,” said Alvarez. “I have so much experience and many skills to bring to the ring. I know he’s a difficult southpaw fighter. I have my skills and I am going to adapt myself to that style. I’m better than him [across every skill set] for sure. We will see May 8.”
The southpaw Saunders’ skillset serves as perhaps the toughest test from a technical standpoint Alvarez has had to deal with ever since he sneaked by Erislandy Lara with a split decision win in 2014.
“Floyd Mayweather Jr. is the most difficult technical fighter I ever fought. I’m a different fighter right now [since I fought Lara],” said Alvarez. “I’m more mature, confident. I have more experience. I learned about defeat and that’s something I don’t want to experience.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com