LAS VEGAS – August 9, 2023 – Mexican superstar and pound-for-pound great Canelo Álvarez will defend his undisputed super middleweight world titles in a blockbuster showdown against hard-hitting undisputed junior middleweight world champion Jermell Charlo headlining a SHOWTIME PPV (8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT) Saturday, September 30 in a Premier Boxing Champions event from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Canelo, who’s amassed one of the best resumes of his generation at only 33-years-old, will make the third consecutive defense of his WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO super middleweight world titles against the junior middleweight king Charlo in the first matchup of the four-belt era pitting two reigning undisputed champions against each other. With a win, Charlo would add his name alongside legendary champions such as Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns and Roy Jones Jr. by successfully jumping two weight classes to win a world title.     

Pre-sale tickets are available tomorrow, Thursday, August 10 from 10 a.m. PT until 10 p.m. PT through AXS.com by using the code: PBC

Public on-sale begins Friday, August 11 at 10 a.m. PT with tickets available through AXS.com. The event is promoted by Canelo Promotions and TGB Promotions.

“Canelo Álvarez and Jermell Charlo are fighters who dare to be great every time they enter the ring and have shown that once again by going headfirst into this dream matchup between the two best fighters in their divisions,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions. “Canelo is already a surefire Hall of Famer but continues to seek the biggest and best fights for his devoted fans. Charlo has also established himself as one of the sport’s top pound-for-pound fighters and would leave no doubt about his place in boxing’s hierarchy with a win on September 30. This is a night you won’t want to miss on SHOWTIME PPV and at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.”

“We are very excited about this historic matchup under the PBC banner,” said Eddy Reynoso, Canelo’s Manager and Trainer. “Our team is very focused on this fight and we have decided to hold a high-altitude training camp to prepare. We have a great champion in Charlo in front of us and this will be an exciting fight because of the styles both fighters bring to the ring.”

“Canelo vs. Charlo is a legitimate mega-fight and yet another testament that SHOWTIME® continues to deliver the biggest and best matchups in the sport.” said Stephen Espinoza, President, SHOWTIME SPORTS®. “In a banner year that has already featured some of the most anticipated fights in recent memory, Canelo vs. Charlo stands out as a historically unique showdown between two undisputed champions. September 30 will be another can’t-miss event for boxing fans around the world.”

Having captured world titles at 154, 160, 168 and 175-pounds, Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KOs) will enter the ring for yet another super fight as he looks to become the first man during the four-belt era to defend all four titles successfully three consecutive times. The fighting pride of Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, Canelo became undisputed at super middleweight in November 2021 by taking the IBF belt from then unbeaten Caleb Plant via an 11^th-round TKO headlining a SHOWTIME PPV. After dropping a light heavyweight title fight against Dmitriy Bivol in May 2022, Canelo rebounded to defeat Gennadiy Golovkin in their September 2022 trilogy fight before most recently defeating John Ryder in May.

Under the guidance of his renowned coach Reynoso, Canelo has triumphed over a long list of elite fighters since turning pro at just 15-years-old in 2005, including Golovkin twice, plus Shane Mosley, Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto and Sergey Kovalev to name a few. Outside of the Bivol fight, Canelo’s only other defeat came against undefeated legend Floyd Mayweather in September 2013.

“I’m very happy that we got to make a fight of this magnitude between two undisputed champions,” said Canelo. “Jermell Charlo has also faced the best in his division, and I’m glad that the fans are going to enjoy a world class fight between us on September 30.”

Houston’s Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) unified the junior middleweight titles in emphatic fashion his last time out, knocking out Brian Castaño in round 10 of their May 2022 rematch, after they fought to a draw in a July 2021 slugfest. The 33-year-old became a unified champion in September 2020, dropping Jeison Rosario three times on his way to an eighth-round knockout that earned him the WBA and IBF titles. Before that fight, Charlo had avenged the only loss of his career as he reclaimed his WBC belt via an 11^th-round knockout of Tony Harrison in one of 2019’s best fights.

Charlo is trained by 2022 BWAA “Trainer of the Year” Derrick James in Dallas and won his first world title in his debut fight with James by scoring an eighth-round knockout of John Jackson in 2016. He followed up that victory with three successful defenses, knocking out Erickson Lubin and Charles Hatley, and winning a decision over former world champion Austin Trout. Charlo and his twin brother and two-division champion Jermall, who fight under their Lions Only banner, made history in 2016, becoming the first twins in boxing history to simultaneously hold world championships in the same weight class.

“I’m really excited to make history once again on September 30,” said Charlo. “This is the biggest fight in boxing and I’m coming to leave it all in the ring like I do every time. I manifested this fight into existence and earned it with everything I’ve done in this sport so far. Canelo is a great fighter, but he’s gonna see what Lions Only is all about. When the fight’s over, people are gonna have to recognize that I’m the best fighter in the sport.” 

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By Norm Fraueneim –

Last week, there was a question. Is Canelo Alvarez listening?

This week, there’s an answer.

No.

It’s a definitive no, delivered by Badou Jack, who spoke for impatient fans in a restless, yet evolving marketplace.

Jack, a sudden entry in a search for a fall foe, withdrew from the Canelo lottery and left Jermall Charlo as the only option after getting an offer that would have made him fight at about 20 pounds lighter than his current division, cruiserweight. It also included a deadly rehydration clause.

That’s not an offer. It’s an outrage, but also no surprise. In a column headlined by the aforementioned question, Canelo’s offer was predicted:

Market speaks, but is Canelo listening?

Jack, nobody’s fool, did more than just say no, however. He ended his twitter reply with this:

“Canelo let’s give the fans what they want to see and fight David Benavidez.”

Jack repeated what has been said, ad nauseam, for a couple years. Yet, Canelo ignores the refrain. Jack called for Canelo to fight Benavidez on Monday. On Thursday, there was news that Canelo ignored him and just about everybody else all over again. 

Instead of Benavidez, he’ll fight the seldom-seen Charlo on Sept. 16, according to a twitter report from ESPN’s Mike Coppinger.

After his last few fights, Canelo wore a crown that symbolized his long reign. But his silence about anything Benavidez is turning him into the proverbial king with no clothes. You can speculate as to why.

Maybe, he fears the younger Benavidez’ abundant energy late in a long career when Canelo’s measured performances are characterized by fatigue in the late rounds.

Maybe, he’s angry at the trash talk from Benavidez and his trainer/father, Jose Sr. Canelo’s documented pay-per-view power has allowed him to dictate. He wants praise, not insults. Try to bully Canelo and he’ll walk away, angry and defiant. Maybe, that’s why it took so long for a third fight with Gennadiy Golovkin.

Maybe, all of the above. Maybe, not.

Maybe, it changes.

But time isn’t exactly on Canelo’s side any more. Patience is quickly draining through the hourglass in a marketplace that is moving on. There are abundant signs that there’s business beyond Canelo.

It was there in April with Tank Davis’ stoppage of Ryan Garcia in a pay-per-view bout that drew a reported 1.2 million customers.

On July 29, there’s the long-awaited Terence Crawford-versus-Errol Spence Jr. Crawford and Spence continued negotiations after talks failed last October.

It’s still uncertain whether they’ll be rewarded with numbers even close to Davis-Garcia. Still, there’s good news in the attempt. It’s simply says they’re responding to a market demand, one of many. For now, it looks as if Canelo is only trying to satisfy himself.

Benavidez never heard from Canelo on an offer for a September fight from Benavidez promoter/manager Sampson Lewkowicz. Reportedly, the deal was potentially worth as much as $60 million. From Canelo, however, it was met with just more of the same:

Silence.

The Phoenix-born Benavidez is now talking about fighting Jamie Munguia or David Morrell. Morrell had been the original plan. Contrary to some reports, however, David Benavidez says there’s no tentative date or final deal.

Meanwhile, Morrell has started to sound a lot like Benavidez. Morrell is trash-talking him, through a publicist, in an attempt push him into a bout.

Long-term, Canelo’s moves are a signal for Benavidez to move up, from super-middleweight to light-heavy. That’s where his future is. Where his prime is. `

On the Benavidez clock, it makes little sense to wait anymore on Canelo, who will turn 33 on July 18 and then enter the next stage of his long career against Charlo on a PBC deal that reportedly includes two more fights, May and September in 2024.

An agreement for two more Canelo fights, both next year, could mean just about anything.

But Benavidez can only judge it from what he already knows. To wit: Canelo won’t fight him. There’s no other way to interpret what Canelo has done since the Benavidez-Canelo possibility entered the public conversation. Repeatedly, the undisputed 168-pound champion finds another way to avoid him.

The latest example: Charlo.

Charlo, a middleweight belt holder, hasn’t fought in two years. He’s never fought at super-middleweight. Yet, he’ll fight Canelo instead of Benavidez, the World Boxing Council’s so-called mandatory challenger and a former two-time WBC champion. From virtually every conceivable corner, there’s no reasonable explanation for it.

Before Thursday’s news, Canelo’s sometime promoter Eddie Hearn told several media outlets that Charlo was next. In almost the next breath, Hearn went on to say it wouldn’t be a competitive fight. With that kind of recommendation, who’s going to buy?

From Benavidez’ perspective, there’s only one conclusion. For the sake of his career, he has to assume Canelo won’t fight him, now or next year.

For years, Benavidez has been chasing Canelo as though that one fight will define him.

Now, he’s forced to think about a career without Canelo. At 26, he’s got lots of time to do exactly that: Re-define himself according to his own terms.

Move on. A lot of fans already have.