Canelo Alvarez next fight, news, rumors: Move up to light heavyweight targeted for May return

As the biggest star in boxing and its consensus, pound-for-pound best fighter, Canelo Alvarez can do just about anything he wants to when it comes to matchmaking. Luckily for fans, the 31-year-old Mexican superstar has consistently used his powers for good of late as a promotional free agent, using the majority of 2021 to unify all four super middleweight titles for the first time in history en route to claiming Fighter of the Year honors.

So what type of challenges might Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) seek in the new year? Let’s take a look at where things stand in 2022 for the four-division champion.

Alvarez planning move up to light heavyweight next

Alvarez is expected to take another step up in weight — and competition — for his return to the ring. The undisputed super middleweight king will move up to 175 pounds and challenge WBA champion Dmitry Bivol on May 7, according to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger and Boxing Scene’s Keith Idec. The fight would air on DAZN PPV at a still to be determined location.

It would mark Alvarez’s return to the 175-pound division after knocking out Sergey Kovalev for the WBC title in 2019 before vacating it. The second bout of a reported deal would be in September in a super middleweight title bout against IBF middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin (41-1-1, 36 KOs), provided Golovkin gets past Ryoto Murata at a to be determined date. The fight would be the third meeting between Alvarez and GGG following a pair of thrilling decisions in PPV blockbusters that included a disputed draw in 2017 and a close Alvarez win the following year. 

This all comes after Alvarez considered a deal from Premier Boxing Champions to defend his undisputed 168-pound title against WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo. Charlo (31-0, 22 KOs), the twin brother of WBC 154-pound titleholder Jermell, offers an intriguing mix of speed, power and boxing technique for Alvarez and he also…