Unlikely to happen, I realize, but technically El Gaucho de Pigüé is ranked #1 at middleweight by the WBC and is at least nominally Canelo's mandatory challenger. He offers very little reward for the risk, however, being an (outside Argentina, or the minds of diehard boxing nerds) obscure fighter and solid natural MW and capable of hanging at the world class tier (even if p4p he is a full level or two below Canelo) - so expect a step-aside payment to make way for a more lucrative bigger name and/or surer thing. I think it would be a great stylistic match-up if we did get it. Heiland can take what Álvarez can dish out and can respond in kind. If he chose to simply outbox him the ginger could probably sleepwalk to a UD, but could the rugged cowboy of the Pampas lure him into a slugfest? I'm not sure he couldn't - nor sure whatsoever how it plays out when Álvarez lands full-power shots (like the ones that decimated Kirkland and Khan) on a true 160lber...or, perhaps more fascinatingly, what happens when a heavy-handed 160lber clobbers him in return. :think
:exmad NO 155!! MIDDLEWEIGHT fantasy match-up. :bart (not that a mandatory getting a shot at the lineal champion who is yet to fight a real member of the weight class ought to be in the realm of "fantasy", but...)
Alvarez has the tools to beat most Middleweights. The only ones I see him struggle with will be Golovkin, whom he might lose against, Lee (because of reach and height) and possibly Jacobs. The problem is that these are just fantasy fights because neither of the true Middleweights will be willing to risk their health to drop down to 155lbs for a Canelo fight.
Is he actually on record saying he will only defend the belt at 155lbs? I haven't been paying much attention to all the boxing star diva TMZ crap lately.
I'd love to see this fight, but Canelo will most likely not face an actual MW other than GGG, because he knows the limitations of his power, which is why they get these guy like Khan and Kirkland, for the expressed intention of a brutal highlight reel KO. He wouldn't be able to do anything close to that against an actual MW. I could see Heiland bullying him all over the ring and based on the reaction he had to some of Canelo's shots, maybe even KO him, but in all probability it would be a UD for Canelo.
Well he did say he wasn't going to give any weight advantage to anyone and thathe is not a MW, although he was intintroduced right now as the LINEAL MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION.
