Trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre says he doesn’t want to see Canelo Alvarez retire after his loss to Terence Crawford last Saturday night.
BoMac’s Path for Canelo
‘BoMac’ states that Canelo (63-3-2, 39 KOs) “has earned the fight” to do what he wants. He’d like to see him fight Jermall Charlo next, and stay around in the sport for another two to four contests before retiring. However, if Canelo loses to the 35-year-old Jermall, he might need to consider retiring.
Canelo fighting Jermall (34-0, 23 KOs) would interest older fans who remembered when Charlo was one of the dominant fighters at 154 and 160. He captured world titles at junior middleweight and middleweight in 2015 and 2019.
Jermall abruptly stopped fighting in 2021 and didn’t return to the ring until November 2023, when he beat Jose Benavidez Jr. by a 10-round unanimous decision. Charlo recently knocked out Thomas LaManna in the sixth round earlier this year on May 25. Before that, Jermall had been inactive for 18 months. He’s currently ranked #2 WBA, #3 WBC at super middleweight.
“I’d love to see Canelo fight again. If he wants to continue two or three more fights, just let him go ahead and do it. He’s earned the right to do what he wants to do. He fought some of the best fighters of his era, and when you get to that stage, it’s in his blood,” said trainer Brian ‘BoMac’ McIntyre to Fight Hub TV when asked if Canelo Alvarez should continue fighting following his loss to Terence Crawford.
The Retirement Question
Canelo doesn’t need ‘BoMac’ to tell him what to do. He’s got two fights left on his contract with Turki Alalshikh. Alvarez is unlikely to want to retire and walk away with the money he has left on his multi-fight contract. Whether Canelo continues fighting after his contract ends will depend a lot on how well he performs in those last two fights. If he wins both and looks good, it’s possible that he’d continue. He’s only 35.
McIntyre’s Recommendation
“Go ahead, Canelo. Fight again. Two times, three times, four times, however many times you want. I think Charlo just put something out there, something about, ‘My division. I’m on my way back.’ So, fight Charlo,” said ‘BoMac’ when asked who Canelo should fight next. “Then, he might have to consider retirement,” said Brian on what happens if Alvarez loses to Jermall Charlo.
Canelo has a big decision to make in determining who he should fight next. While Jermall would be a good choice to interest older fans, it would do nothing for the younger ones who have never seen him fight before. Jermall has been too inactive in the last four years for the younger fans to know of him.
Alvarez would be better off choosing someone fans have heard of and care about. These would be good options for Canelo:
- Hamzah Sheeraz
- Chris Eubank Jr.
- Conor Benn
