Saul “Canelo” Alvarez's traditional fight date, Mexican Independence Day weekend in September, is fast approaching, but an opponent for the unbeaten super middleweight champion has yet to be announced.
If Alvarez is scheduled to fight on Sept. 14, an opponent would have to be announced soon in order for the event to be properly promoted. Alvarez's bout against Jermell Charlo over Mexican Independence Day weekend last year was announced on June 30.
If Alvarez fights in Las Vegas on Sept. 14, it will be a direct confrontation with UFC 306 at the Sphere.
UFC President and CEO Dana White has promised a blockbuster event that will be “a love letter to the people of Mexico,” and many are wondering whether Conor McGregor's bout, which will mark his return from a recent injury, will be rescheduled as the Sphere's main event on that date.
Matchroom Boxing president Eddie Hearn has promoted six of Alvarez's last nine fights and believes Alvarez's next opponent will be unbeaten super middleweight contender Edgar Berlanga, who he also promotes.
“I think he'll fight Berlanga next,” Hearn told Boxing Scene after Jesse Rodriguez's knockout win over Juan Francisco Estrada on Saturday night in Phoenix.
“Given our options… who else do we have to fight?” [Alvarez has] Two required items: [IBF mandatory] I'd never heard of William Scull before. With all due respect to him, I'm sure he's a good fighter. And the other guy is [WBA mandatory] Edgar Berlanga is a Puerto Rican knockout artist. He's been on ESPN and DAZN. Everybody knows him and it's competitive. So I think he'll fight Berlanga next.
“Vegas, New York, anywhere is fine. If there's a Sphere fight, maybe I want to do it in New York. I prefer New York, but Canelo is a creature of habit. I like Vegas, but I also like fighting in Texas.”
“It's really thanks to DAZN. [when Alvarez fought Jaime Munguia]There was no need to advertise the fight. [DAZN] They didn't have to put up a guarantee. They got the broadcast rights and it worked out really well. So they're happy with that. DAZN is doing great. They're doing great right now. The numbers are through the roof. We're in a really good position with the platform. In my opinion, you don't want to over-guarantee fighters on fights or make millions of dollars in guarantees. I've seen people do that before and they got out of the business quickly.”
Berlanga said in May that he planned to fight Alvarez in September, just days before Alvarez's unanimous decision win over Munguia.
“I'm 100 percent confident, I know it's going to happen,” Berlanga said at the time.
“I'm Puerto Rican, I'm a superstar, I have a lot of support, a lot of following. Well, I don't have a title. I'm his [WBA] “It's a must, but I want you to understand that I have a huge fan base. It will do big numbers on pay-per-view and it will be a historic fight. Mexico versus Puerto Rico. It's a big fight, it will definitely make money.”
Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He is also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the Mixed Martial Arts Journalists Association. He can be reached at @ManoukAkopyan on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, or by email at manouk.[dot]Acopian[at]You can contact us at gmail.com or www.ManoukAkopyan.com
