Saul “Canelo” Alvarez may be looking to enter a new division. The undisputed super middleweight champion is reportedly interested in challenging cruiserweight champion Badou Jack. During a recent interview with Boxing King Media, Amer Abdallah of Skill Challenge Entertainment said that a deal is nearly complete for the cross-divisional showdown.
“He wants to jump to cruiserweight and I think the only thing that is sticking right now is where that weight is,” Abdallah said.
“The financial terms are agreed upon. The date is agreed upon. Everything is there. It’s just that the weight is the sticking point.”
Alvarez last fought in May. After an eight-month layoff, he secured a unanimous decision victory against John Ryder. Since then, a number of light heavyweight contenders, including David Benavidez, have campaigned for a fight with Alvarez. Instead, he appeared to be more interested in a fight with Dmitry Bivol, who defeated him in a light heavyweight title fight last spring. However, it does not appear that either side has been able to reach an agreement for a rematch.
“It’s not even a case of [Dmitry] pricing himself out; he just feels that he has a certain value in the fight, and at the moment, we’re not there,” Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing said recently.
Bivol has reportedly turned his interest toward a potential showdown with fellow light heavyweight champion Artur Beterbiev later this year. Meanwhile, Alvarez reportedly has his sights set on Badou Jack.
