Canelo Spotted In Japan; Will He Fight Alongside Inoue?

October 2, 2024
4 months
Canelo Spotted In Japan; Will He Fight Alongside Inoue?

Boxing fans have reacted after Canelo Alvarez was spotted in Japan, raising speculation that he could fight on a card alongside Naoya Inoue.

Canelo is coming off a unanimous decision win over Edgar Berlanga on Mexican Independence Weekend. He dominated the fight, dropping Berlanga in the process. The fight was heavily criticized because Canelo was not fighting top opposition. He had moved away from a David Benavidez fight by pricing himself out and demanding $200 million. The Mexican Monster has since then moved up to 175 pounds. As that fight looks unlikely, further speculation over a fight against Terence Crawford was also mentioned. However, the Mexican has made contradictory comments, first ruling out that fight and then stating that he would be open to it. 

Canelo is a four-weight world champion. Alvarez has earned the right to decide whoever he faces. He was spotted in Japan, as per the following footage. The picture shows him signing a cap for fans, as there are suggestions that he could fight in the country. The initial speculation on social media is that he could fight on a card feature Naoya Inoue. The Japanese will defend his Undisputed Super Bantamweight Title.

Canelo In Japan

The current name being mentioned for Canelo is Christian Mbilli. He is considered one of the most dangerous fighters in the 168-pound division. Mbilli is currently 28-0 and has a record of 23 knockouts. He overcame Sergiy Derevyanchenko in a unanimous decision in his last fight, overcoming the durable Ukrainian. Mbilli stated in his post-fight comments that he wants to fight the best. Although he did not call out Canelo by name, he has previously mentioned that he wants a fight with the Mexican after beating Rohan Murdock

“Murdock is strong. He took all of my good punches. But for me, I thought I would finish him in one more round. But his team ended the fight. He’s a good fighter, but I’m the best today. Canelo is the best. Everyone knows that. But now I want to show that I’m the best in the division. My goal is to fight him. I would do anything to fight him,” Mbilli said 

What’s Next?

If the fight does happen, it could occur at the iconic Tokyo Dome, which has 55,000 seats. Canelo has shown that he has a global fanbase. Despite criticism over the Berlanga fight, it reportedly did 650,000 PPV buys. The event also reportedly brought in a live gate of $17 million. It went head-to-head with UFC 306, which was headlined by Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili. That was the first combat sports event held at The Sphere. And yet, Canelo held his own even when he was charging a PPV price of $89.99. Canelo’s camp have previously suggested that he could fight in Japan, raising speculation that it might happen now.

“Team Canelo told me that they are not close to the offers that Turki [Alalshikh] makes, but if they beat [Edgar] Berlanga in September, as they hope, Canelo could fight in Japan in December. The plan is to go beyond the American continent,” Salvador Rodriguez (journalist) said

Nevertheless, reporter Michael Benson has ruled that out.

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