Canelo Alvarez To Move Up, Challenge Ilunga Makabu For Cruiserweight Belt

Canelo Alvarez will attempt to become a five-weight champion.

Alvarez only recently unified the super middleweight division following his 11th-round TKO win over Caleb Plant earlier this month.

In the process, the legendary Mexican made history as he became the first to unify the 168-pound division.

And he’s not finished yet.

Alvarez now wants to move up to cruiserweight and challenge Ilunga Makabu for his WBC title in May next year. Should he win, he would become a five-division champion. The WBC have already approved the move.

The news was announced by Alvarez’s head trainer and manager Eddy Reynoso at the WBC convention (via Michael Benson).

“Canelo Alvarez’s trainer/manager Eddy Reynoso has announced at the WBC convention that Canelo wants to move up to CRUISERWEIGHT and challenge WBC champion Ilunga Makabu in his next fight in May. The WBC have approved this, so Canelo will fight to become a five-weight champion.”

Makabu became the WBC cruiserweight champion after winning the vacant title with a unanimous decision win over Michael Cieslak in January last year. He most recently defended his title with a TKO win over Olanrewaju Durodola in December.

Of course, the Congolese boxer is most well-known for his knockout defeat to Tony Bellew back in May 2016.

Nonetheless, it will certainly be an intriguing matchup with Alvarez having never competed at 200 pounds.

What do you think of Canelo Alvarez moving up and this potential matchup?