Undisputed super middleweight champion Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is not worried about the size he needs to make up ahead of his cruiserweight fight in 2022.
The 168lb Mexican star is set to fight WBC champion Ilunga Makabu in May 2022, where there is a top weight limit of 200lbs.
That leaves around six months for the 31-year-old to pack on the pounds, with his previous heaviest fight coming against Sergey Kovalev at light heavyweight, still 25lbs short. If he wins, he will become the first Mexican five-division champion.
With future fights expected in lower weight classes, Cannelo expects to fight at around 180lbs, and he believes his ringcraft will allow him to come in smaller.
"I'm a very smart fighter,” he said at the 59th WBC annual convention.
I believe in my power and my skills, so this is why we're going to try [to win the title at cruiserweight]. It's a great challenge and a question of twenty kilos.
“It's a fifty/fifty challenge, but I feel very strong. I love challenges and making history. That's why I'm here, and I like this challenge. We will see if it is the most difficult challenge of my career on that day," Canelo said.