Getting WBC's Blessing To Fight In Explorer Class, Saul Alvarez Ready To Face Ilunga Makabu

Canelo Alvarez (Instagram @canelo)

JAKARTA - Saul "Canelo" Alvarez is back in the spotlight after planning to return to the cruiser division (90.7 kg) to challenge WBC world titleholder Ilunga Makabu.

The Mexican boxer has received approval from the WBC to hunt for the world title in five different divisions and is due to fight in May or June 2022.

"The WBC has unanimously approved Canelo to fight for the cruiserweight world title. It's a surprise, but I'm sure he will continue to make history," WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman said Thursday.

Alvarez is at the peak of his career after officially becoming the undisputed super-middleweight boxer (76.2 kg) after defeating Caleb Plant at the MGM Grand, Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas, November 6, 2021.

With four major titles, namely WBA Super, IBF, WBO, and WBC, the 31-year-old boxer has been named the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world.

Alvarez won his first world title in the junior middleweight (69.8kg) in 2011 after beating Alfonso Gomez. Then his career skyrocketed after two matches against Gennady Golovkin in the middleweight (72.5kg).

After that, he confidently moved up to the lightweight division (79.3 kg) and won Sergey Kovalev's WBO title in 2019.

Alvarez seems not satisfied with his achievements and now plans to move up to a higher class, namely cruiser or one level below the heavyweight (+90.7 kg) which is actually the highest division in boxing.

Meanwhile, Ilunga Makabu is a boxer from Congo who has a record of 28 wins and two defeats. He won the WBC cruiserweight title on January 31, 2020, after defeating Michal Cieslak.

Then, he managed to defend the title in his last match against Olanrewaju Durodola at Studio Mama Angebi, Kinshasa, Congo, on December 19, 2020.