Canelo Alvarez has dismissed a possible catchweight fight with Terence Crawford and instead teased a climb beyond light heavyweight as he prepares to face Jermell Charlo in Las Vegas.
Boxing’s biggest star will defend his super-middleweight crown against Charlo in a meeting of two undisputed world champions on September 30.
Crawford’s stunning victory over Errol Spence Jr last month cemented Bud’s position as the world’s best welterweight and one of the greatest pound-for-pound stars on the planet.
After that fight, Crawford said he would be open to moving up from welterweight to face Canelo, suggesting recently: ‘We can do something at a catchweight. Probably like 160 or 158lbs. That would be cool.’
Canelo has won world titles in four divisions but, speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, he suggested 168lbs is now the lowest he would go.
Canelo Alvarez has dismissed a possible catchweight fight with Terence Crawford
Crawford’s win over Errol Spence Jr last month cemented Bud’s position as welterweight king
Canelo will defend his super-middleweight crown against Charlo (pictured) on September 30
‘He’s a great fighter, he deserves to be in the top two… (but) it’s hard for me to make other weights,’ the Mexican said.
‘Like he said, if he beat Gervonta Davis, nobody is going to appreciate that.
‘They’re going to say: ‘too small, too small.’ And I think it’s the same position for me.’ But Canelo did not rule out moving up once more. He has already won world honours at light heavyweight and the 33-year-old even suggested 175lbs might not be his ceiling.
‘We never know. I like challenges,’ he said. ‘We never know.’
First, though, Canelo must come through Charlo. The two fighters came face-to-face in New York on Tuesday and the Mexican said: ‘It’s a good fight, it’s been talked about since a long time ago, and now I’m in PBC (Premier Boxing Champions) I think it’s a good fight for the fans.
He added: ‘I just like fighting, I like boxing and I like what I’m doing right now – making history.’