Manny Pacquiao vs Canelo Alvarez Fight Rumors: Filipino Boxing Legend To Face Alvarez In 2016?
After Canelo Alvarez's win over Miguel Cotto on Nov. 21 reinforced his position as one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world, could he be next in line to fight champion boxer Manny Pacquiao?
The WBC has mandated a fight between 25-year-old Alvarez and Genady "GGG" Glolovkin, but the new middleweight champion may opt to drop the belt and face off with a different opponent instead. "Fighter of the Decade" Manny Pacquaio may just be the guy, as Top Rank promoter Bob Arum reportedly suggested to Lance Pugmire of the Los Angeles Times earlier this month. To this, Alvarez replied, "Yes, of course, it's a fight [Canelo vs. Pacquiao] that could happen in the future, but right now my focus is on Miguel Cotto 100 percent and nobody else." "I am not thinking about the future," he said.
Now that Alvarez is the new WBC middleweight champion, a fight between him and boxing's top welterweight could be a pay-per-view hit.
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However, Arum has previously ruled out Alvarez for what may be Pacquiao's farewell bout, reasoning that the Mexican fighter will be too big for the Filipino boxer. Guessing that Alvarez could weigh 170 pounds on fight night, he said, "That's just looking for trouble."
According to his long-time trainer Freddie Roach, Pacquaio is reportedly considering welterweight champion Timothy Bradley, Jr., junior-welterweight champion Terence Crawford, and former junior-welterweight champion and training mate Amir Khan for his next bout in 2016.
Roach reportedly said that Crawford is his top pick, but was intrigued about the possibility of a Pacquaio-Bradley fight, mainly because of a rivalry with Teddy Atlas, Bradley's trainer.
"This guy waits for the camera to get on him … some of the fans really enjoy that [stuff]," Roach told Pugmire. He added: "He thinks his fighter can beat my fighter because of him. I'd like to show him he can't."
