Canelo Alvarez next fight: Fighter gets approval to challenge Ilunga Junior Makabu for cruiserweight title

Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Álvarez has an opponent in mind for a return to the ring and has received preliminary approval. The WBC announced on Tuesday that Canelo requested and has been approved to fight WBC cruiserweight champion Ilunga Junior Makabu (28-2, 25 KO). The goal is fight on next year’s Cinco de Mayo weekend. Bad Left Hook noted that the only potential hangup would be if Makabu’s promoter, Don King, attempted to block the fight.

Canelo has cleaned out the middleweight and super middleweight divisions in his time and is looking for a new challenge. A win over Makabu would only further cement a Hall of Fame legacy with a title in a fifth division. Along with middleweight and super middleweight, Canelo has won major titles in the junior middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. He’ll never be able to match Manny Pacquiao’s record eight divisions with a major title, but five divisions isn’t too shabby.

Makabu is currently ranked third in the cruiserweight division by Ring Magazine. IBF champ Mairis Briedis is the Ring champ and Yuniel Dorticos currently ranks second. Makabu won the vacant WBC title with a unanimous decision win over Michał Cieślak in January 2020. He successfully defended it with a TKO win over Olanrewaju Durodola in December of that year. He has not fought since.