Canelo Alvarez has been challenged to a light-heavyweight showdown with a fighter who just delivered a stunning upset that could be the best of the year.
The Mexican star has only fought at 175 pounds twice—against Sergey Kovalev in 2019 and Dmitry Bivol in 2022, with dramatically different results. He stopped Kovalev in the 11th round to become a four-weight world champion, but lost decisively on points to Bivol. Since then, Alvarez became the undisputed super-middleweight champion twice, but lost that status to Terence Crawford via unanimous decision last September.
Now looking to regain at least one title, the 35-year-old is scheduled to face WBC champion Christian Mbilli in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this September. However, the father and trainer of light-heavyweight contender Zak Chelli has proposed an alternative opponent for Canelo.
Chelli engineered a stunning 10th-round stoppage of David Morrell on Saturday, fighting on the undercard of Fabio Wardley vs. Daniel Dubois. Given Morrell’s status as a top contender—and someone who gave David Benavidez a competitive fight last year—the Cuban’s defeat on British soil qualifies as a major upset.
Buoyed by the result, Zak Chelli Sr. told ProBox TV that even Canelo, despite his strong record against British fighters, cannot beat his son. “If he wants to fight at light-heavyweight, we can go for Canelo. Why not? Canelo has beaten all the British fighters he’s faced. You cannot beat Zak, Canelo. Give him Zak.”
Having stepped in on just a few weeks’ notice against Morrell and still emerged victorious, Chelli has certainly put himself in the spotlight for another major opportunity.
