Alvarez is penciled for a ring return on May 7 against an opponent yet to be named, following his unanimous decision win over Miguel Cotto of Puerto Rico last Nov. 21.
Boxing site latinpost.com reported the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) has confirmed that a reservation for May 7 was made by Golden Boy Promotions.
“Golden Boy Promotions has placed a hold for Canelo to fight at the new arena on May 7,” said Bob Bennett, executive director of NSAC. “It will come up at the next hearing, at which time we will vote on whether or not to approve the request.”
The 25-year-old WBC middleweight champion from Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico was slated to defend his title against rival Gennady Golovkin right after the Cotto fight but officials of both camps have agreed to the proposal of WBC for both Alvarez and Golovkin to take an interim fight before facing each other later this year.
While the Alvarez-Golovkin bout could have been a great event as a curtain opener for the new Las Vegas Arena’s first boxing fight, Alvarez may have to settle for a new challenger other than Golovkin.
According to boxingjunkie.com, Willie Monroe and Gabriel Rosado appear to be on the running as Canelo’s next foe before taking on his mandatory fight against Golovkin later this year.
But Canelo’s manager Chepo Reynoso said any name mentioned now as Canelo’s next foe is nothing but speculation until he meets with Golden Boy Promotions later in the week.
“For now we can not say anything until we talk with Golden Boy. We can mention names, I can mention names, but in the end it will only be speculation, it is important to know what names may are mentioned after the meeting,” he said.
Meanwhile, Golovkin appears to be entertaining a possible showdown with Billy Joe Saunders. According to promoter Frank Warren, talks on the possible fight could happen next week.
‘We are going to talk on the phone at the end of next week and see what happens. It is a great fight but the details obviously need to be right. Warren said.
‘It is a stadium fight, not just a fight for a 10,000 or 15,000 crowd, and I would like it to be in this country. It’s very early days but let’s see.’ he added.
Saunders is unbeaten in 23 fights and is coming off a majority decision win over Andy Lee last Dec. 19 at the Manchester Arena in England.
