Canelo Alvarez and Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) have agreed to end their three-fight deal after just one fight. Canelo moves on now after his plans for a May 4th fight against Jermall Charlo fell apart due to lack of interest on PBC’s part in that match-up.
King Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KOs) will join Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn to fight Edgar Berlanga and Jaime Munguia this year on DAZN. As of now, those are the two fights being mentioned for 2024.
Next year, Canelo could take a more daring approach by facing some of the big names with talent, not that Berlanga and Munguia are chopped liver. They’re more like stay-busy tune-up level fights to keep Canelo active before he faces the big dogs.
Factors Behind the Split
What spoiled things for Canelo fighting Jermall Charlo on May 4th on Amazon Prime PPV was how Jermell Charlo looked in his loss to Alvarez last September.
Jermell appeared to go through the motions, playing it safe, not taking risks, and fighting in a survival-oriented way to keep from being knocked out by Canelo.
The performance poisoned the well for a fight between Canelo and Jermall, who was the one the Mexican star wanted from the beginning for his match last September. Jermell, a 154-pounder, was used as a substitute when Jermall wasn’t ready, and he fought terribly.
Of course, Jermall didn’t help himself by looking “lackluster’ in his last fight against Jose Benavidez Jr. on November 25th, needing to go the full ten-round distance to defeat a fighter that he should have destroyed with ease.
Granted, Jermall was coming off a 29-month layoff, and he hadn’t exactly been living well during his two years out of the ring, but he still needed to perform better than he showed to create interest for a fight between him and Canelo.
“Canelo Alvarez and PBC mutually agreed to part ways, sources told ESPN, with two fights remaining on a three-fight deal signed in June. The pact called for the star boxer to fight Jermall Charlo on May 4. However, Canelo and PBC couldn’t agree to terms,” said Mike Coppinger of ESPN on X.
“Alvarez could now return to DAZN, where fights against Edgar Berlanga and Jaime Munguia are in play for May and September. Of course, the big fights for Canelo remain with David Benavidez and Terence Crawford.
DAZN Return on the Horizon
Now that Canelo has split with PBC, he returns to DAZN, opening up possibilities for fights against Berlanga and Munguia this year. Again, those are more tune-up-level fights for Canelo before he looks to fight upper-echelon-level fighters in 2025.
Despite having a 22-0 record, Berlanga has no real experience against top-tier opposition during his eight-year pro career. His former promoters at Top Rank matched him against 16 tomato cans in his first 16 fights, and he responded by knocking them out in the first round.
When Top Rank advanced Berlanga against veterans, he struggled and looked poor. Soon after, Berlanga departed Top Rank to Matchroom, where he’s returned to fighting lower-level opposition and has looked reasonably good. He’s clearly not ready for a fighter like Canelo, but that doesn’t matter.