Eddie Hearn reveals that Ilunga Makabu and John Ryder are the frontrunners for the showdown with Canelo Alvarez in December
By: Hans Themistode
It was initially believed by many that Canelo Alvarez and promoter Eddie Hearn were side by side for his next two games. Alvarez has turned down a lucrative two-fight offer made by PBC’s Al Haymon, which will see the heavyweight star face off against Jermall Charlo and David Benavidez, to accept a two-fight deal from Hearn to fight. him with Dmitry Bivol and Gennadiy Golovkin instead.
With Alvarez officially signed up in May and September, Hearn recently revealed that his deal with Alvarez is actually for three games. While no one has yet been officially named for Alvarez’s final match with Matchroom, which will likely take place in December, Hearn believes he not only knows who Alvarez is likely to face but and where it will eventually take place.
“It’s John Ryder in London, this is probably going to be his mandatory job,” Hearn said in an interview with FightHype.com. “Or maybe [Ilunga] Makabu in Guadalajara. ”
Alvarez, who was born and raised in Guadalajara, Mexico, has not fought on his home turf since his 12th round knockout win over Ryan Rhodes in 2011. Since fighting mainly in the United States , Alvarez has become boxing’s biggest star.
Alvarez recently stripped Caleb Plant of his IBF super-middleweight title in November 2021, becoming the sport’s first all-time champion.
Ryder, 33, jumped into Alvarez’s sights following his recent win over former two-time middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs. However, even with Ryder scoring three wins in a row, Makabu still gave Alvarez what Ryder couldn’t, a chance into history.
The relatively unknown 34-year-old recently defended her WBC cruiser title against Thabiso Mchunu in the first month of the new year. Before officially signing with Bivol and Golovkin, Alvarez had cherished the idea of climbing up another weight class to claim a fifth world title, a record for a boxer of Mexican origin.
Admittedly, Hearn would love to see Alvarez pack his bags, stamp his passport and hit the road to the UK. But, even in that case, the longtime promoter concedes that seeing Alvarez return home would be on another level.
“Can you imagine, a fight with Canelo Alvarez in Guadalajara? Part of me wanted to bring him to the UK but also to be able to take Canelo Alvarez to Guadalajara, and see it as a spectacle. That could even surpass London. ”
