This past Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada – in a bout that was televised in the US by the relatively new powerhouse streaming app service known as DAZN – Canelo Alvarez made his 175 pound debut when he moved up to challenge WBO light heavyweight world champion Sergey Kovalev.
This contest was a fascinating tactical chess match of the variety we don’t typically see. Canelo and Kovalev were both poised, patient, and exhibiting high ring IQ’s. It was a long and disciplined tactical encounter where Kovalev was looking to outhustle Canelo without overextending where he left himself vulnerable to counters, and Canelo was patiently minimizing any would be incoming fire while methodically breaking Kovalev down and ultimately tiring him out.
At the end of the night, Canelo scored an impressive 11th round knockout when he landed a booming left hook and immediately followed it up with a crushing right hand. Kovalev was down and he was out. With the victory, Canelo Alvarez had become the new WBO light heavyweight world champion, which now puts Canelo in exclusive company with the rare distinction of being a 4-division world champion.
So right now Canelo Alvarez is in the driver’s seat and he can basically determine his own career path. Who is next for Canelo? Or a better question might be, what are Canelo’s five most interesting possible opponents? That is a matter of some debate, but generally speaking, despite the fact there are so many possibilities, some names are clearly more interesting than others.
So who do you think Canelo will face next? And who do you think he should face next?
This edition of Rummy’s Corner explores one man’s opinion of the five most intriguing options currently available to the newly crowned WBO light heavyweight champion – Canelo Alvarez. For one boxing fan’s take on the situation, please watch and enjoy this video. Thank you.