Canelo Alvarez has officially received his WBC Diamond middleweight but the thing that most people are more interested in is who he will be facing on May 7.
May 7 (Cinco de Mayo weekend) is the target date that Alvarez is expected to return to the ring, an interim bout before the much-awaited tussle between him and Gennady Golovkin takes shape.
There have been a couple of names mentioned as his likely opponent, the only thing that is perhaps lacking as of now.
The venue seems to have been confirmed, and it will be at the MGM Grand Garden. It was earlier rumoured that Alvarez’ next fight will be held in Las Vegas and Boxingscene.com reports the actual place – the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.
The venue is the usual place where Floyd Mayweather Jr. holds his bouts and normally on the same month of May. However, since Mayweather has officially retired from the sport, holding an Alvarez fight in his place makes a lot of sense.
In the same report, Golden Boy Promotions was given approval, allowing them to stage a Nevada Athletic Commission card after their meeting held yesterday, Jan. 12.
With the date and venue settled, the next on the agenda is who Alvarez will actually face. There have been names mentioned, such as Willie Monroe Jr. and Gabriel Rosado, according to Boxing Junkie.
With all due respect to Alvarez’ choices, the past fights of the two boxers seem to hint that the Mexican brawler will be taking on easy opponents for his first title defense.
Willie Monroe seems to carry a more credible background. Monroe fought last May but lost to Alvarez’ looming opponent Golovkin. A fight with Monroe could help fine-tune Alvarez for an impending showdown with Golovkin later this year.
The other name mentioned is Rosado, who has been a bit erratic if his last fights are to be skimmed. He lost four of his last six matches but did register a win last time against Joshua Clottey via decision.
For now, there is no lead on who has the inside track, though if these are indeed the only two names in the shortlist of Alvarez, the best bet is obviously Monroe.
Alvarez’ official opponent would likely be announced soon unless a new name enters the mix.
After his May joust, it will be Golovkin’s turn to stage his interim bout. There is also no certainty on who Triple G will face, though the names of Billy Joe Saunders and Tureano Johnson have been mentioned.
Of the two, however, it could very well be Johnson since he is the mandatory IBF challenger. Saunders is believed to be holding out since he wants more money on the table.
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