Boxing Social’s Louis Hart Spoke to Dan Rafael as Canelo Alvarez announced that he will be taking his talents to PBC and Showtime in a 3 fight deal, here is what Rafael had to say:
“Things are good. I’m enjoying my summer,” Rafael begins, his voice steady, hinting at the thrilling undercurrents of the boxing world. “I’m looking forward to some bigger fights.”
As if carefully laying down pieces on a chess board, Rafael outlines the upcoming clashes. He speaks of the ‘big one’ – the much-anticipated fight between Errol Spence and Terence Crawford in the heart of Las Vegas.
“We’re getting some good fights now,” he acknowledges. “It’s an exciting summer.”
Canelo’s PBC Deal: A New Dawn or a Necessary Move?
The announcement of Canelo Alvarez’s purported three-fight deal with PBC has caused a ripple of speculation throughout the boxing community. When asked about this, Rafael, with the eye of a seasoned analyst, clarifies the situation.
“He didn’t announce that he signed a three-fight deal with PBC,” Rafael emphasizes, unfolding the story as if from a mystery novel. “What he did was he posted a video on his Instagram… and underneath that was the PBC logo.”
Rafael goes on to confirm that, according to his sources, Canelo has indeed signed a three-fight deal with PBC. The first bout will commence in September 2023 against Jermall Charlo, who will move up to challenge for the super middleweight title.
When asked if this was a good move for Canelo, Rafael responds:
“I think it’s the only move for Canelo,” he says. “Eddie Hearn has to have the opponents to offer him. And then because he would have opponents now, you can offer him big money to do those opponents.”
Rafael then underlines the harsh reality of the boxing landscape. He reminds us of Canelo’s past conquests and how the Mexican champion has exhausted his options within the Matchroom stable. There is no more room for marquee matchups.
“Top Rank doesn’t have anybody for him in that weight class… the only one that you can look to would have been to talk to Al Haymon,” he asserts, driving home the inevitability of Canelo’s choice.
The Question of a Bivol Rematch
Rafael then dives into the complex issue of a possible rematch between Canelo and Bivol, once again applying his analyst’s precision to dissect the factors at play.
“They’ve had a problem agreeing on what the weight would be… Canelo was insistent that they do the match at 175 pounds… Bivol is of the mindset which is understandable… based on the victory, they believe they should get more money than they got the first time around.”
Rafael reveals that the weight dispute, coupled with a disagreement over the financial arrangements, ultimately led to the fight falling through.
Check out the full interview:
