Jermall Charlo has seemingly played down rumours that he is set to face Saul “Canelo” Alvarez on May 4 after posting a video denying claims that the fight is agreed.
“I haven’t even talked to Al Haymon since I last fought, everyone is like, ‘You about to fight Canelo’; ain’t no confirmation; I’m in the islands somewhere,” Charlo said on social media.
“Until it’s official, it’s official. I offered… I said I would do whatever I gotta do. We was on the jet skis, I stopped for this.”
The WBC middleweight champion posted the video while on holiday in Turks and Caicos after it was widely reported he would face Alvarez in Las Vegas during the coming Cinco de Mayo weekend.
Rumours of the match-up grew on Tuesday after Alvarez announced he would be facing an American on May 4 in Vegas during an interview with TV Azteca.
The two were due to face each other last year but Charlo withdrew due to personal problems, and his twin brother Jermell replaced him.
The unbeaten American then returned to the ring in November after a 29-month layoff with a shutout victory over Jose Benavidez Jr. Organised for a catchweight of 163lbs, above the 160lbs middleweight limit, Charlo still weighed in at 166.4lbs.
Speculation surrounding Alvarez’s next opponent increasingly focuses on David Benavidez and Terence Crawford, but a fight with Jaime Munguia is unlikely.
Munguia enhanced his claims for a fight with the undisputed super middleweight champion after doing what his fellow Mexican couldn’t in stopping John Ryder in January.
Alvarez, like Charlo 33, indirectly ruled him out when he specified during Tuesday’s interview that his next opponent would not be a fellow Mexican, but it has been widely reported that talks are ongoing.
Crawford, regardless, increased speculation surrounding a fantasy match-up between them with a post on social media earlier this month.
“Terence Crawford vs Canelo Alvarez is the biggest fight in boxing right now,” he wrote. “Like it or not it’s just facts.”
The undisputed welterweight champion may now be the frontrunner for the fight. Mexican-American match-ups are widely considered to do the best PPV numbers on Cinco de Mayo weekend.
