Those of you hoping to see Canelo Alvarez in action this year may be out of luck. Mike Coppinger reports that the Mexican star is “deadlocked” with DAZN over money and could sit out the rest of 2020 rather than take a reduced payout.
Should he lace up the gloves before year’s end, Coppinger notes that November 14th against either Billy Joe Saunders or Callum Smith is possible.
To be more specific, Canelo’s (53-1-2, 36 KO) contract has a guaranteed payout of $35 million per fight; seeing as we’re in the midst of a global pandemic, DAZN is reportedly offering “about half,” and neither side is budging. Canelo was expected to fight one of many potential opponents, from the aforementioned Callum Smith to Jason Quigley, a week from this coming Saturday, but that fell by the wayside with nary a whimper.
To further complicate matters, Golden Boy and DAZN are also “at an impasse” over contractual language that demands Canelo face one “premier” opponent in his two yearly bouts. That could likely prove a significant impediment if Canelo decides to take the WBC’s offer and fight Avni Yildirim for their vacant super middleweight title.
