Canelo Alvarez looking to travel for major fight outside of U.S. in coming years

Canelo Alvarez, who has already won world titles in four divisions and established himself as arguably the biggest star in boxing, wants to expand his brand globally, and Eric Gomez of Golden Boy tells Sky Sports that international fights are in his future.

Gomez named Mexico (where Alvarez first became a phenomenon at a young age), Japan, and the United Kingdom as possibilities for Canelo to travel for a fight at some point.

There was talk earlier this year, in fact, of Canelo going over to Japan and facing WBA “world” middleweight titleholder Ryota Murata, but negotiations fell apart in early February. UK names Billy Joe Saunders and Callum Smith are possibilities at 168, and Saunders was thought to be near a finalized deal to face Alvarez, albeit in Las Vegas, on May 2, before coronavirus shut the sport down.

What happens next for Alvarez (53-1-2, 36 KO) is really anyone’s guess, what with the COVID-19 pandemic still keeping boxing sidelined for the foreseeable future in all likelihood. He’s one of those fighters that might find it difficult to accept the economic realities of an empty arena fight with absolutely no gate to take in; for instance, a third bout with Gennadiy Golovkin in the fall — also thought to have been a done deal — would be hugely expensive without being able to make up at least some of the purses with a gate.

But it’s all speculation for now, which most things are. Alvarez does seem to have legitimate interest in taking his show on the road and becoming an even bigger brand name than he already is, and there will be options out there at some point, surely, but right now it’s hard to say when, where, or against whom.