The new era in the career of boxing’s biggest current superstar begins this week in Las Vegas when Saul “Canelo” Álvarez fights for the first time under Al Haymon’s Premier Boxing Champions banner.
Jermell Charlo (35-1-1) will stand across the ring from Álvarez (59-2-2) in a super middleweight bout of historic proportions. The showdown between the two 33-year-old veterans marks the first time in boxing’s four belt era, which began in 2004, that two undisputed champions will face each other.
Álvarez currently holds all the major titles in the 164-pound super middleweight class, while Charlo will jump up two divisions from the 154-pound light middleweight class, where he’s reigned for the last three years.
“Being undisputed, very few fighters in the history of boxing accomplish this,” Álvarez said in a prefight news conference. “I’m just happy to be here, happy to be a part of big fights.”
Álvarez shocked fans in June with the announcement of a three-fight deal reportedly worth more than $100 million with Haymon, a longtime boxing power broker who famously managed the career of Floyd Mayweather Jr. Possibilities suddenly became plentiful for Álvarez, given all the championship-caliber fighters Haymon counts among his stable.
Álvarez was expected to kick off his Premier Boxing Champions deal against Charlo’s twin brother, Jermall, an undefeated middleweight who’s spent most of his career fighting closer to Alvarez’s weight class.
But Jermall has been inactive since June 2021 on a mental health break and didn’t feel ready to return for a bout of this magnitude. The opportunity then fell to Jermell.
“When I got the call, all I could say was, ‘Jump on. Let’s get it. Let’s go,’” Jermell said at a news conference. “My whole career has been about almost chasing Canelo. Canelo has been a top guy for a long time, and if you want to be great, you always want to fight the top guy.”
Álvarez is widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world—he’s rated No. 5 in both ESPN and The Ring Magazine’s rankings—but the 33-year-old has slipped from the top where he sat earlier in his career. His recent outings haven’t been all that dominant, as Álvarez suffered a shocking upset loss to Dmitry Bivol in May 2022 before having since bounced back to beat Gennady Golovkin and John Ryder via a pair of relatively unimpressive unanimous decisions.
“I understand what the people say, and I agree,” Álvarez said. “I didn’t look my best in the last two fights, but I know why and I’m ready for this fight. ...You’re going to see something different.”
Jermell meanwhile has been mostly absent in pound-for-pound discussions, which he feels is a slight and something he wants to change in a quest to become known for more than being “just the little Charlo.” An upset victory over a bigger fighter, both in terms of popularity and physicality, would accomplish that goal.
Despite having a smaller frame, Jermell will actually hold a 4-inch height and 2.5-inch reach advantage over Álvarez. Jermell also figures to be the faster fighter, though the edge in power belongs to Álvarez.
“Everybody has wanted to see this fight for a long time,” Álvarez said. “I think both (Charlos) are great fighters. I respect them, but I think Jermell has better opposition and I think he’s the better fighter.”
T-Mobile Arena, 5 p.m. Sept. 30, starting at $537 plus tax and fee. ticketmaster.com
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