Middleweight champ Canelo Alvarez has said it is very much his plan to drop back down to 160 pounds after his December 15th challenge of WBA 168 pound titlist Rocky Fielding. Of course Canelo believes he will be victorious up at super-middleweight, but the stay at 168 could prove to be a short one. Speaking on a conference call yesterday, and quoted by RingTV.com, the Mexican superstar said he will be coming back down in weight and will be defending his world middleweight title next year.
Canelo has some big-fight options at middleweight; chief among them a third fight with Gennady Golovkin, but also, maybe, fights with the likes of Danny Jacobs, Jermall Charlo and David Lemieux. It is the final instalment in the Canelo-GGG rivalry that all fight fans really want to see of course. A lot may depend on whether or not GGG signs up with DAZN, as Canelo has done. If the former champ does so, then surely we can get excited about a Canelo-GGG III.
“I’m always willing to make a third fight,” Canelo said on the subject. “We did two, why not three?”
Why not indeed. The heavyweight division aside, a third fight between these two passionate rivals is the biggest fight that can be made in boxing today. Well, aside from maybe a Floyd Mayweather-Canelo II, at middleweight. Canelo spoke on this subject too, saying how he would definitely defeat Mayweather in a return fight, but that it would have to take place at 160, no lower. It seems unlikely, however, that Floyd will want this fight, far too risky as it would be.
It’s good news that Canelo will come back down to middleweight in 2019. He has, after all, got unfinished business there. Many fans still insist GGG won both of his exciting rumbles with Canelo, while others suggest the two are one-and-one (the drawn first fight really being seen as win for Triple-G). Until that third and hopefully deciding fight is fought, Canelo will only hear one fighter’s name. He and Golovkin must do what is right and get it on again.