Canelo Alvarez Approved by WBC To Move Up In Weight, Fight For Cruiserweight Title
Canelo Alvarez’s historic takeover of the boxing world appears to not be over.
At a World Boxing Council convention, Canelo’s trainer Eddy Reynoso announced that Canelo has a desire to move up to cruiserweight and fight for the WBC Championship held by Ilunga Makabu. The WBC approved the request and will allow this fight to move forward.
Canelo is hoping to fight sometime in May and a win could make him a five-weight champion. He has won gold in the light-middleweight, middleweight, super-middleweight, and light-heavyweight divisions.
Super middleweight Crusierweight
We just approved the challenge between @Canelo and Makabu in Cruiserweight — pic.twitter.com/fKmz0rWx7z
— World Boxing Council (@WBCBoxing) November 16, 2021
The 31-year-old Canelo made his boxing debut in 2005. After suffering the first loss of his career against Floyd Mayweather in 2013, Canelo has gone 15-0-1. It recently took him eleven months to become the undisputed super-middleweight champion, beating Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, and Caleb Plant. The Plant fight at the beginning of November ended via TKO.
Making his debut in 2008, Makabu lost the first fight of his career. He then won 19 in a row, winning the WBC Cruiserweight Title in the process. After losing to Tony Bellow in 2016, Makabu would go on another (nine-fight) win streak. He beat Michael Cieslak in January 2020 to win the WBC Cruiserweight Title once again. The last time Makabu fought was in December 2020, beating Olanrewaju Durodola via TKO to defend the title.
Makabu has a mandatory challenger in Thabiso Mchunu, who might need to continue waiting for a shot at the title.
This would be one of three fights Canelo hopes to compete in next year. One fight could potentially be within the super-middleweight division against former champion David Benavidez.
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