MEXICAN superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez claimed another world title after beating Daniel Jacobs and straight away looked to set up opportunities for more belts.
While Anthony Joshua and Deontay Wilder – who together own all the heavyweight marbles – look set to be kept apart until 2021.
Two rivals that seemingly can’t be separated are Carl Froch and George Groves, who five years on from their rematch, and both retired, have talked up a trilogy showdown.
Here’s SunSport’s boxing round up.
CANELO VS CALLUM SMITH
AFTER Canelo added the IBF middleweight world title to his WBC and WBA collection, the ginger haired maestro began plotting for yet more opportunities to snatch belts away.
As well as WBO middleweight champ Demetrius Andrade and light-heavyweight king Sergey Kovalev, Liverpool’s Smith is also on the Mexican’s radar – with Wembley Stadium his favoured destination.
Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez said: “One of the fights that Canelo has told us he’d like to do is Callum Smith. Eddie [Hearn] knows some people at Wembley Stadium, so that would be a great event there.”
Canelo won the diluted WBA “Regular” super-middleweight title against Rocky Fielding in December, though Smith holds the “Super” title – in layman's terms, the real belt.
JOSHUA VS WILDER in 2021
IT IS hard to remember the last time the thought of Joshua vs Wilder actually meeting in the same ring seemed close – but now it seems even further away.
Wilder’s co-promoter Shelly Finkel revealed the WBC champ will face Luis Ortiz and Adam Kownacki if he beats Dominic Breazeale on May 18 – and Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn claimed that will push the undisputed fight back two more years.
Hearn told IFL TV: “I know that [Luis] Ortiz has already been promised the Wilder fight, I know that [Adam] Kownacki has already been promised the Wilder fight.
“So we’re not just talking about 2020, we might be talking about 2021 when Wilder’s available.
“It’s bulls*** for the sport of boxing it really is and it’s annoying because certain people without the brain capacity presume that Joshua doesn’t want to fight Wilder – you couldn't be more wrong.”
FROCH – GROVES 3
AGED 41 Froch is five years removed from the night he knocked out bitter rival Groves in front of 80,000 fans at Wembley – and for the most part he seemed happy retired.
That was until he revealed plans to come out of retirement to fight Groves at light-heavyweight – despite the score standing at 2-0.
Groves himself retired this year age 30, but responded to his rival, who he was seen in good spirits with while working together on Sky Sports, on Twitter.
It led to Matchroom Boxing chief Hearn revealing he will speak to Froch and understand the nature of his seriousness – though the promoter admitted he would like to stage the third fight.
KLITSCHKO RETURN
ANOTHER keen to tease a return to the ring is ex-heavyweight ruler Wladimir Klitschko- who has been rumoured to have spoken to DAZN regarding a lucrative comeback deal.
However, Hearn revealed talks for the Ukrainian to make a comeback age 43, and two years on from an 11th round stoppage against Joshua, are actually taking place.
Hearn told IFL TV: “I think he is looking at it. Nothing is happening at the moment.
“DAZN have spoken to him. We’d love him back, I love Klitschko. I think he is great, but we will see.”
MAYWEATHER NICKED
MONEY MAN Floyd Mayweather reportedly had the police called on him following a heated dispute with a jewellery shop owner in Miami.
The five-weight world champion was on holiday in the Magic City where the 42-year-old wandered into the Diamond Club fine jewellery store.
According to TMZ, the 1996 Olympic bronze medallist was looking at a stone as he looked to purchase his latest expensive gift to himself.
They claim that he got involved in a verbal altercation with the shop owner, as a customer inside the shop called the cops over the argument – but Mayweather had already left the premises by the time they had arrived.
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