12 months after Kovalev win we still await next Canelo fight

It was 52 weeks ago tonight that we last saw Canelo Alvarez in a boxing ring. That night he defeated WBO Light Heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev to win his fourth world title in a fourth different weight division. But, a year later, we’re left to wonder when will we see Canelo in the ring, again?

First, that fight last November 2nd at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas was a signature moment in Alvarez’s illustrious career, as for the first time ever he fought as heavy as 175 lb.

And, he answered the questions about being able to take a punch from a Light Heavyweight as Kovalev did tag him on more than one occasion. However, Alvarez was the younger and fresher fighter as the bout wore on and eventually, staggered Kovalev late in the fight before dropping him with one final booming overhand right for a TKO Victory.

#OnThisDay – In 2019, Canelo Álvarez beat Sergey Kovalev by KO in round 11 of 12 to win the WBO light heavyweight title. pic.twitter.com/SEyRRsIYy9

— b0xingfan (@b0xingfan) November 2, 2020

Little did we know when we saw him leave the ring that night, that we would be so uncertain a year later about when Alvarez might fight next?

Obviously, part of that is due to the Covid-19 pandemic  that would shut down the sport completely for 90 days earlier this year and since, with only limited exceptions in North America, has kept any fans from being able to attend. Thus, killing one of the life bloods of boxing, the live gate, for its bigger stars.

Bigger than all this though is Alvarez’s squabbles with his own promoter Golden Boy Promotions and specifically, Hall of Fame fighter/promoter, Oscar De La Hoya. In fact in September, Alvarez was so frustrated at not being able to land a fight this Fall through Golden Boy and the DAZN streaming service partnered with them, that he sued both in California Federal Court.

Golden Boy and De La Hoya have countered with the court that they want arbitration to decide who gets to dictate what opponent Alvarez fight next? That legal mess continues to drag on and probably will, into 2021.

The only certainty is: that we’re not going to see Alvarez in a ring before the end of 2020. And, that’s bad for everyone including most of all, the fight fans that would like to see arguably the most dynamic, big punching fighter of the last five years or so get back in the ring against someone sometime soon.

For now, we’re only left to re-watch him beating Kovalev, which seems longer and longer ago.