Jermall Charlo & Canelo Alvarez will be fighting on September 30 instead of on the Mexican Independence Day holiday weekend on the 16th of that month because they won’t be able to get the venue they want on that date.
The UFC has already booked the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for the September 16th date that Canelo-Charlo would be taking place on that date.
It’s not that Canelo is moving from that date because he’s afraid of the competition from the UFC event because that’s not expected to be a huge one. It’s more about Canelo’s venue at the T-Mobile Arena being taken by that event.
While undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo (59-2-2, 39 KOs) likes to fight on the Mexican holidays, it’s not a big deal that he’ll miss out on the September 16th because his title defenses against the unbeaten Jermall (32-0, 22 KOs) is a big enough one for it to bring in a massive amount of PPV buys taking place on September 30th.
Dan Rafael is the one that broke the news of Canelo’s fight on Showtime PPV against Charlo being moved off the September 16th date.
Canelo has a formidable opponent he’ll be facing in Jermall Charlo, who had been seen as the #1 middleweight in the division until he disappeared off this planet two years ago and hasn’t performed since his win over Juan Macias Montiel.
If Jermall can get in top shape in his training camp rot his fight, Canelo could be in serious trouble on September 30th and heading to his third career defeat.
Canelo not afraid of competition
“Everybody assumed that would be on September 16th. Why? Because Canelo has made a habit of fighting on the second Saturday of September because it’s around the Mexican Independence Day,” said Dan Rafael on his Youtube channel.
“I believe it was very purposeful that he [Canelo Alvarez] didn’t put his date when he posted his message on Instagram. As it turns out, the UFC is doing a pay-per-view that same night.
“I know this from people doing the event. They weren’t concerned with competition from the UFC. My understanding is the UFC event that is taking place on September 16th isn’t considered a big, big pay-per-view.
“They [Canelo] weren’t concerned with competing with the UFC on pay-per-view. The UFC grabbed up the T-Mobile Arena. That’s where Canelo was probably going to fight, and that’s where his American pay-per-view fights have taken place over the last few years.
“His last fight in May took place in Guadalajara, his hometown,” Dan said about Canelo. “During the pandemic, he fought in Texas and in Florida. But since the world has come back to normal order in terms of crowds and that sort of thing, it’s been back to Vegas.
“So again, September 16th had been the perceived date. September 30th is what I was told by the people involved, the likely date for Canelo.
“Not because they were fearful of the UFC competition. It’s because that was the date that they could probably get the venue that they prefer instead of having to go elsewhere. It looks like the Canelo-Charlo fight will take place on September 30th.
“Presumably in Vegas, but not 100%, but that is what they’re looking at. That’s the reason why it’s not 100% announced yet because they’re still dealing with some of the details, but that’s the fight, and that’s what’s happening.
“Canelo Alvarez would have zero problems fighting Jermall Charlo in Houston or anywhere in Texas, whether Charlo is from Houston or not, because, of course, he’s going to be the hometown guy and will have fans there’s a lot of fans there that would root for the guy that is from Houston.
“Canelo would also draw an enormous group of people that are Mexican. Here’s a perfect example. When he fought at Minute Maid Park, where the Houston Astros play, he drew 40,000 people for that fight.
“He fought an opponent James Kirkland, who is from Texas, an Austin fighter, and he destroyed him in three rounds in one of the knockouts of the year that year. Canelo Alvarez isn’t afraid of fighting anybody. He’s certainly not afraid to fight Charlo in his hometown.
“Canelo, I’m telling you, this isn’t a knock on Charlo, but he has more fans in Houston than Charlo does. So this is not about, ‘I’m scared to go there.’ They’re looking at the best economic situation to make the biggest event.
Fighting Charlo in Texas not a probem
“You can make the biggest event and make the most economic sense if you’re coming to the United States for a Canelo fight, doing it in Las Vegas. That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t go elsewhere from time to time. He did fight at the AT&T Stadium and he did fight at the Alamodome.
“The Alamodome, which fits 65,000, they were limited to a fan cap of 15,000 because that was when the pandemic was still in our lives, and the same thing happened when he fought Yildirim in the stadium in Miami. It was the same thing when they were limited to a certain number of people.
“Obviously, Texas at that time, the rest of the country wasn’t that open, but when he fought Billy Joe Saunders, Texas was at full capacity, and he drew like 76,000 and broke the indoor attendance record for boxing. It shattered the record Ali & Spinks had set in their rematch that took place at the Superdome in New Orleans back in 1978,” said Rafael.
