Official: Canelo Alvarez signs long-term deal with HBO

As was reported earlier, Canelo Alvarez has officially signed a long-term deal with HBO Sports, a multi-fight package that means that HBO and Golden Boy Promotions are officially back on good terms, and that the 24-year-old Alvarez will return to the recognized No. 1 boxing network in the United States, after two years with Showtime Sports.

"For all of my career, I have wanted to fight on HBO for one main reason: I believe it will allow more of my fans to see me in action," said Alvarez during a press conference this afternoon in Los Angeles. "Today marks a huge milestone for me, and I look forward to a long and successful partnership with HBO."

Alvarez (44-1-1, 31 KO) is 2-0 this year, beating Alfredo Angulo and Erislandy Lara, both fights televised on Showtime pay-per-view. His return to HBO in December will not be a pay-per-view show, and it's currently expected that he'll face Joshua Clottey, though James Kirkland's name may be back in the hat after he declined to face Gabriel Rosado in November.

"Everyone at HBO is excited to welcome back Canelo Alvarez to the HBO family, and we can't wait to re-introduce him to our subscribers," said Ken Hershman, president of HBO Sports. "At only 24 years old, Canelo has already established himself as one of the boxing world's brightest stars, and we look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship as we embark on this new chapter together. We are delighted to partner with Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions in presenting Canelo's fights and events on our various platforms."

De La Hoya spent his career with HBO, and Golden Boy Promotions benefited greatly from often favorable treatment from the network during its formative years, but a rift between the network and Al Haymon led to Golden Boy choosing to not televise their fights last year. That streak will end on November 8, when Bernard Hopkins returns to HBO to face Sergey Kovalev, 

"I'm thrilled to be part of this historic agreement between Canelo Alvarez and HBO Sports, an agreement that marks another major step in Golden Boy Promotions' primary goal-to give boxing fans the fights they want to see," said De La Hoya. "Canelo is the best young fighter in the sport, and this move will help line him up to fight top opponents in the sport for many years to come."

Alvarez was last featured on an HBO card in May 2012, when he beat Shane Mosley on the Mayweather-Cotto pay-per-view. His last regular HBO fight came in November 2011 against Kermit Cintron.