WBC Approves Canelo Alvarez-Ilunga Makabu

Undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo Alvarez looks to be after even more following his victory over Caleb Plant.

Been keeping track here at the WBC annual convention as there was plenty for them to discuss. We wrote here earlier about them not deciding on order Tyson Fury to face Dillian Whyte. You can now add Alvarez being approved by the WBC to next challenge its current champion, Ilunga ‘Junior’ Makabu, following a formal request made by Alvarez’s chief advisor Eddy Reynoso during the mandatory challenger portion of the convention Tuesday evening.

“We just approved the challenge between Canelo Alvarez and Junior Makabu in cruiserweight,” Mauricio Sulaiman, WBC president, noted Tuesday.

Many were shocked at this news as many expected that Alvarez was to take on David Benavidez in May of next year. It even seemed like the next big-time fight penciled for both in 2022. So much so Sampson Lewkowicz, promoter for Benavidez,  was at the convention to enter the fight against Alvarez at the convention.

It looks like that will have to wait as this may be the next time out we see both Canelo and Makabu. Makabu was originally slated to take on mandatory challenger Thabiso Mchunu, who asked for a postponement due to not being ready to fight by the end of this year.

The bigger story that is being left out of all of this is not only do we get Canelo Alvarez jumping two weight classes in an attempt to clean out that division possibly; we also will get an appearance by non-other than Hall of Fame Promoter Don King in 2022 if this deal is finalized. According to this press release, King is currently the promoter of Makabu and was going to host the Makabu-Mchunu fight.

For Canelo, this would be historic as capturing a cruiserweight title will make him Mexico’s first-ever five-division champion.