Mexican superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez 57-1-2 (39) has a dangerous task ahead of him when he takes on reigning WBC cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu 28-2 (25) next year.
Undisputed super middleweight champion Alvarez, 31, made the surprise announcement that he would move up two weight classes to face southpaw Makabu, 34, just weeks after his knockout victory over Caleb ‘Sweethands’ Plant 21-1 (12) to add the IBF belt to his collection of hardware.
Victory will see Alvarez claim a world championship belt in his fifth weight class.
Eddie Hearn has heaped praise on Alvarez and his trainer and manager Eddy Reynoso for daring to be great.
“I think with Canelo and Eddie Reynoso, they want challenges,” the Matchroom Boxing boss told iFL TV.
“They want to dare to be great which is tremendous for the sport. The Makabu fight is a cruiserweight fight that would give him another world championship victory, would get a lot of people talking as it did last night and I think it’s a good option for him.”
Makabu, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, may be largely unknown outside of hardcore boxing circles, but he brings some talent to the ring.
He is undefeated in his last nine fights dating back five years, when he was stopped by Tony Bellew in three. In that fight Makabu had Bellew on the deck in the opening stanza.
Makabu won the vacant WBC title against then-undefeated Polish boxer Michal Cieslak 21-1 (15) on points in January last year. He made his maiden title defence against Nigerian Olanrewaju Durodola 36-8 (33), winning by seventh-round knockout.
At six-foot tall Makabu is not the tallest 200-pounder, but he will still have a substantial size advantage over the 5-foot-8 Alvarez, who started his career as a junior welterweight.
“I think it’s a dangerous fight. I was speaking to Tony Bellew – who could be looking real good in a few months if this happens – and he said that Makabu is a huge puncher, huge puncher, and very strong,” Hearn said.
“I think that when you look at Saul the Golovkin fight is a huge fight financially, a lot of people would want to see that fight. But does that motivate him? I think he could become undisputed at 175 and I like that plan. But there is also the cruiserweight division.
“Listen, he could move up and fight at heavyweight. I mean, Usyk’s not a massive heavyweight, Trevor Bryant’s a world champion as well. Can he compete against those guys? Cruiserweight first, maybe.
“But I like the fight against Makabu. I think it’s a dangerous fight, I think it’s an exciting fight and as I said, Saul and Eddy are interested in making history. They’re not interested in having normal, boring fights. Every fight has to mean something.”
