Eddie Hearn still holds out hope of promoting Canelo Alvarez again
Eddie Hearn remains upbeat despite missing out on the opportunity to promote Mexican superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s next fight.
WBC, WBA, WBO, IBF and Ring Magazine champion Alvarez 60-2-2 (39) was shopping around for a new promoter after Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) baulked at paying him his contractually guaranteed $35 million for a proposed fight against Jermall Charlo 33-0 (22) on May 4.
Matchroom Boxing boss Hearn met with the 33-year-old Mexican and put forward a deal that would see him face Jaime Munguia 43-0 (34) in his next bout.
Alvarez ultimately returned to PBC, who will now deliver the Munguia fight from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada on Cinco de Mayo. The bout will be broadcast on pay-per-view on both Amazon Prime Video and DAZN.
“It’s on DAZN, which is great. Obviously, he has that contract with PBC. They made him an offer by all accounts, bigger than our offer,” Hearn said to iFL TV.
“We would have loved to have done the fight, but with the contract with PBC. But with the exclusivity with DAZN with Jaime Munguia, it worked out really well with DAZN. I’m happy. I’d have much preferred to be promoting the event. I love the fight.”
The original plan for Alvarez to box largely inactive WBC middleweight titleholder Charlo on a PBC promoted card in May was widely panned by the boxing community as a massive mismatch.
The opponent that the boxing world really wants to see across the ring from Alvarez is undefeated punching machine David Benavidez 28-0 (24) and while this isn’t happening next, former WBO junior middleweight champion Munguia is arguably the next best opponent.
Mexican Munguia, 27, added his name to the Canelo sweepstakes with a ninth-round knockout of hard-headed British southpaw John Ryder 32-7 (18) in January. Ryder went the distance against Alvarez in a losing effort last May. Against Munguia, he was dropped four times.
“I think it’s a good fight for Saul,” Hearn continued. “I think he’ll win in style and then, hopefully, we can talk to him about working together. I think this is a one-fight with PBC, so this will be the last one. After May 4th he’ll be a free agent and let’s see if we can get him on board.
“I’ll definitely do another Saul Canelo Alvarez fight in his career, whether that’s September. We get on really well, but he’ll always take on the biggest deal or what he feels is the best deal for him. With his current contract and everything, this is a good fight for him. Like I said, DAZN gets action, so it all makes sense.”
