Canelo Alvarez’s next fight seems just about actually set, and it does appear he will be taking a cruiserweight title fight with WBC titleholder Ilunga Junior Makabu on May 7, 2022.
The WBC approved Canelo’s request this week, and Makabu has accepted the fight. This may turn out to be preliminary, but generally speaking, when a fighter the level of Canelo wants something, he gets it, and the two did face off to end the WBC’s annual convention.
Makabu (28-2, 25 KO) may not be a pound-for-pound fighter, but the 34-year-old from the Democratic Republic of the Congo is no joke, and he’s a legitimate cruiserweight with a lot of cruiserweight power, and he thinks Canelo has picked the wrong fight.
“Yes, I accept the fight,” he said at the convention. “When I got this news from my manager and (WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman), I said, ‘Wow! This is something good.’ Canelo is the best boxer on the planet right now. So, I want to fight the best, and I accept, but there will be no catchweight for this fight.
“I think Canelo is making a big mistake, which he is going to regret. Canelo wants to prove to people that he can do better than others and I am quite prepared to let Canelo try for this dream, but I‘ve got my also story to write down. Yes, this is boxing. I lost to Tony Bellew, but I came back. Now I’m telling you 100 percent, I will knock out Canelo.”
“I’m a very smart fighter. I believe in my power and my skills, so this is why we`re going to try,” Canelo said. “It’s a great challenge and a question of 20 kilos. It`s a 50/50 challenge, but I feel very strong. I love challenges and making history. That`s why I’m here, and I like this challenge. We will see if it is the most difficult challenge of my career on that day!”