The pay-per-view bout will pit a battle of undisputed champions against one another which sees the undisputed super middleweight champion Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez putting his title on the line against undisputed junior middleweight champion challenger Jermell Charlo, who is moving up two weight classes for the chance of a lifetime.
Recently World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman has explained why he is so excited for the fight, which is set to take place on September 30 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, with Showtime PPV broadcasting the event.
“It is a great fight. It is something very interesting," said Sulaiman to Gambling.com. "Undisputed super middleweight and undisputed super welterweight. Great rivalry between Mexico and USA – history says great fights come from these combinations and I don’t think it will be different. It will be a great, tough fight for both."
This audacious decision pays tribute to an Arnold Palmer quote stating 'fortune favors the bold.' Now we have something we have never seen prior, a historical battle between two undisputed champions, never done before in the four-belt era. Sulaiman on top of highlighting the international rivalry between Mexico versus the United States, which could create a soccer-like atmosphere, also believes Canelo is one of the great Mexican fighters.
“[Canelo is] still making his legacy," said Sulaiman. "He is an active boxer but without a doubt, he is up there with the greats of [the sport] like Julio Cesar Chavez and Erik Morales, there [are] so many great fighters that have come from Mexico. He’s a great among the greatest.”
Yet, another consequential fight that looms in the shadows as the undefeated contender David Benavidez, who holds the WBC's interim belt at the super middleweight division and serves as the mandatory challenger to Canelo's title, lay in wait. The winner of this bout could face David Benavidez, who will be the mandatory challenger for the WBC super middleweight world title in 2024.
“David Benavidez - he is the interim champion," explained Sulaiman. "He is [the] mandatory contender for the WBC. Benavidez’s term for the mandatory status is in March 2024. It will absolutely be a great fight [against the winner]."
