Though Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez is deeply upset at the way he has been stripped of his IBF middleweight title due to no deal to face his mandatory challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko being signed off on in time, we the fans might just benefit from these turn of events. Canelo is still looking to fight in October, as is his former rival, former 160 pound king Gennady Golovkin.
The two won’t be fighting each other this year (although we all very much want to see that third, deciding fight between the two), but the word is GGG will now possibly face Derevyanchenko, for the vacant IBF strap, while Canelo could wind up facing WBO middleweight champ Demetrius Andrade in a unification clash.
Two potentially great fights to look forward to, then. Maybe.
Eddie Hearn, in speaking with Sky Sports, has stated how talks have recommenced between he and Golden Boy on the possibility of a Canelo-Andrade fight, and the Matchroom boss said that Andrade would absolutely be “ready to go,” if the fight is offered to him.
Andrade, as slick as they come, has been calling for the big fights for some time now and though some pretty quick negotiating would be needed for a Canelo-Andrade fight to be made by October, it could perhaps happen. And Canelo would arguably have a far tougher, trickier, night’s work on his hands against the unbeaten Andrade than he would have had against the once-beaten (by Danny Jacobs) Derevyanchenko.
Golovkin was seemingly without a dance partner yet now, in light of all that has happened, Triple-G could be swapping punches with the IBF mandatory challenger next. And then, in an ideal world, the two winners would fight some time next year. There are three or four guys out there all claiming they are the best middleweight in the world. Maybe, if these two fights come off, we will be a step closer to finding out which man is most deserving of making this lofty claim.
I'm very upset and ashamed with my fans, to be unfairly stripped of my belt by the IBF, but specially when i did not have the knowledge of the agreement that GBP match maker had signed.
— Canelo Alvarez (@Canelo) August 2, 2019