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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MAY 04: Canelo Alvarez poses with his championship belts after his unanimous decision win over Daniel Jacobs in their middleweight unification fight at T-Mobile Arena on May 04, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Tom Hogan/Golden Boy/Golden Boy/Getty Images)
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LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – MAY 04: Canelo Alvarez poses with his championship belts after his unanimous decision win over Daniel Jacobs in their middleweight unification fight at T-Mobile Arena on May 04, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Tom Hogan/Golden Boy/Golden Boy/Getty Images)
Canelo Alvarez returned with a bang on December 19 and beat Callum Smith to ascend to the pinnacle of the super-middleweight division. Following the fight, the WBA, WBC, and The Ring super-middleweight monarch charted out plans to remain at the weight and unify the belts.
The P4P king took a huge step in this direction as he vacated the WBA middleweight title. The decision to vacate the 160-pound belt has cemented his plans to stay at the super-middleweight division for a while.
Canelo Alvarez has vacated his WBA middleweight title after winning the WBA and WBC super-middleweight titles against Callum Smith. As things stand, Ryota Murata has the WBA 'regular' middleweight belt and Chris Eubank Jr has the WBA 'interim' middleweight belt.
— Michael Benson (@MichaelBensonn) January 1, 2021
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Following Alvarez’s decision, Ryota Murata of Japan is the regular WBA champion at 160 pounds, and Chris Eubank Jr. is the WBA interim champion at the same division.
Talking to Boxing Scene, Saul’s manager and trainer Eddy Reynoso shed light on this astounding move. He said, “He is 168 now, it is his prime weight, It is where he feels strongest and we are not giving away anything in weight anymore at middleweight.”
Besides signaling his intent for 2021, Alvarez’s move has freed up the division. Hence, there can be a new face who emerges as the face of the middleweight division.
However, it has seemingly poured cold water on a highly anticipated rematch.
Also Read – ‘I Will Never Fail You’ – Canelo Alvarez Takes a Trip Down the Memory Lane
Is the Canelo Alvarez vs Gennady Golovkin’s trilogy far fetched?
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Alvarez’s shocker has stunned boxing fans all over. Most of the boxing enthusiasts presumed Canelo would opt to fight ‘GGG’ in a trilogy bout. Their first fight ended in a controversial draw, whereas the second was won by Canelo through a majority decision.
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LAS VEGAS, NV – SEPTEMBER 15: Gennady Golovkin punches Canelo Alvarez during their WBC/WBA middleweight title fight at T-Mobile Arena on September 15, 2018 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
Canelo seems set to chase gold rather than fight an opponent he has already beaten. However, the bout could be on the cards if Golovkin moves up to super-middleweight. Given the Mexican’s words and actions over the last fortnight, it does seem unlikely for 2021.
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Reynoso added, “Anyone who wants to fight Canelo will have to meet us (at super middleweight). He’s not giving away any more of his prime.”
What do you make of Canelo’s move to vacate the WBA middleweight belt? When will we get to see a classic trilogy between him and ‘GGG’?
