By: Sean Crose
The powerhouse contract between Canelo Alvarez and Premier Boxing Champions appears to have crumbled. ESPN has reported that, after just one bout, Canelo is stepping away from his three fight deal with PBC. There had been much talk of this break happening throughout the fight world, and the report from ESPN is widely viewed as reliable. Although exact details are not available, the consensus appears to be that Canelo and PBC couldn’t come to terms regarding either an opponent, or a financial agreement, or both. At any rate, the enormously popular Mexican star is now essentially a free man as far as promotional matters are concerned.
What makes Tuesday’s report all the more fascinating is the fact that Canelo usually fights in May, and his walking away from PBC may impact his choice of opponents. David Benavidez, the formidable contender, is the fighter most fans arguably want to see undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo face next. Benavidez is a PBC fighter, however, as is Jermall Charlo, a less popular potential opponent for the red haired star. Either Edgar Berlanga or Jaime Munguia now appear to be Canelo’s most likely next opponents. Munguia is from Mexico, however, and Canelo has said he won’t be facing a fellow Mexican in this next fight.
Still, even though the undefeated Berlanga knocked out Padraig McCrory in the sixth round on Saturday, he did not strike many as a man who could give Canelo trouble. And then, of course, there’s Terence Crawford. The welterweight king is several divisions lighter than Canelo, but dominated Errol Spence so thoroughly last year that there are those who believe a match between the two would be well worth seeing. Aside from future opponents, there is also the question of future promotional outlets. Few would be surprised if Canelo were to reteam with Eddie Hearn and Matchroom Boxing, which he’s successfully worked with before.
Aside from who Canelo will fight next, there is currently much unconfirmed talk that PBC was unable to provide the kind of money Canelo demanded. Although boxing has something of a ridiculously divided fan base, it is hard to deny that PBC has moved from one outlet to another for whatever the reason over the years. At the moment PBC has teamed with Amazon Prime. Still, it’s worth noting that PBC’s demise has been both predicted (and, in some circles hoped for) for years.
