According to ESPN’s Mexican correspondent Salvador Rodriguez, undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez could be parting ways with Premier Boxing Champions and returning to DAZN.
The beef between the Mexican superstar and his current promotional stable stems from the opponent choice for Canelo’s next fight, which has been tabbed for May 4 in Las Vegas.
Canelo (60-2-2, 39 KOs) has reportedly been pushing for a matchup with WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo. However, rumours abound that PBC have low expectations for this fight’s market value and are reticent to pay Canelo his $ 35 million guarantee for that particular bout.
One can perhaps understand PBC’s cynicism given that Canelo is coming off a virtual 12-round whitewash of Jermell Charlo in September. Given how forgettable that event was, fans are in no hurry to see Canelo against twin brother Jermall.
Also, PBC have recently joined forces with Amazon Prime and will be looking to make a big splash with the No. 1 fighter on their roster.
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On February 21, it was reported by Rodriguez that PBC were willing to pay Canelo’s guarantee for a money-spinning all-Mexican shootout with Jaime Munguia, who is represented by Golden Boy promotions. The “other option” would be that Canelo might work with an alternate promoter for the May 4 date.
Either way, it appears that Canelo is running out of patience.
“Everything indicates neither [Jermall] Charlo, nor [David] Benavidez, nor [Terence] Crawford nor PBC for Canelo,” said Rodriguez on a Twitter (X) post that’s been translated from Spanish to English.
“The [Edgar] Berlanga and [Jaime] Munguía plan is activated with Matchroom for the four-time world champion.”
Will Canelo leave the PBC?
It remains to be seen if Canelo is able to switch to another broadcaster and then return. There has been no official word and contract stipulations will come into play.
In 2021, Canelo defected from his Matchroom/ DAZN contract for a single PBC outing against Caleb Plant. If there’s a similar clause in his contract, the 33-year-old could take that approach this year.
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Will Canelo move back to DAZN/ Matchroom?
If it’s possible, then DAZN and Matchroom would be only too happy to renew ties with a star of Canelo’s caliber. When they parted ways last year, there was no hostility whatsoever.
Canelo fought under the DAZN umbrella from December 2018 to May 2023, with the exception of the aforementioned bout against Plant. There were nine Canelo fights streamed on DAZN, three with Golden Boy Promotions and six with Matchroom.
