Eddy Reynoso Says Canelo Alvarez Has Beaten Heavyweights In Sparring, Will ‘Beat’ Makabu

Canelo Alvarez‘s trainer, Eddy Reynoso claims his pupil has beaten heavyweights in sparring which is why they are targeting a fight at cruiserweight.

This week it was revealed the WBC approved Alvarez moving up to cruiserweight to fight heavy-punching Ilunga Makabu for his title. It’s an intriguing matchup but many are worried about the size, yet Reynoso claims Alvarez has beaten up heavyweights in sparring.

“I know what he (Canelo) has done to the heavyweights he has sparred with, and that is why we have asked for the fight (against Makabu),” Reynoso said to ESPN Deportes (via boxingscene). “We know that Makabu is strong, but Canelo can beat him.  (Even though) many may say that this is crazy. But they also said that it was crazy when Canelo was a junior middleweight champion looking to fight middleweights, super middleweight and light heavyweights. I have a lot of confidence in Canelo. He is very strong, and has many qualities, and I know that he is going to win his fight (against Makabu).” 

Canelo Alvarez is coming off an 11th-round knockout win over Caleb Plant to become the undisputed super-middleweight champion. Prior to that, he scored a dominant win over Billy Joe Saunders to further cement himself as one of the pound-for-pound all-time greats.

Ilunga Makabu, meanwhile, is 28-2 and coming off a TKO win over Olanrewaju Durodola to retain his WBC cruiserweight belt. After losing his pro debut he went on to win 19 fights in a row before losing to Tony Bellew.

Do you think Canelo Alvarez will beat Ilunga Makabu?