Canelo Alvarez has locked in December 6 as his third fight of 2014, according to Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya, and there is a possibility that the fight could be televised by HBO.
"We've been doing all our business with Showtime since a few years ago when we were kicked out from HBO," De La Hoya said.
"Yes, we are doing this fight with Hopkins on HBO and it's a great way to start a relationship again, but I also have to take a look the relationship we have with Showtime. It's a very difficult spot, but I am going to do what is best for Canelo's career."
While the fight date is nailed down, an opponent is not. The leading candidates are James Kirkland, Joshua Clottey, and Demetrius Andrade. Kirkland has displayed the most knockout power of the three over the course of his career, having earned 28 of his 32 victories via knockout.
Clottey is a former contender at welterweight and junior middleweight, but took nearly two years off after back-to-back losses during a stretch in 2009 and 2010 to Miguel Cotto and Manny Pacquiao. Since returning to the ring in November 2011, Clottey is 3-0 with his most recent win coming against Anthony Mundine in Australia.
Andrade is the youngest of the three fighters in the running to face Alvarez, and likely poses the greatest threat. The 26-year-old southpaw is the long shot in this group for several reasons. He is a defensively gifted southpaw, and elusive fighters have proven tough for Alvarez to solve.
He also has the least name recognition of the three, with his most notable victory being a split decision against Vanes Martirosyan. He is, however, the only man in the group with a belt for Alvarez to take.
"Clottey looked good against Mundine and we've been talking with Kirkland's representative day in and day out," De La Hoya said. "If Canelo fights Andrade, it's a chance for him to fight for another title if that's what he wants to do. There are options," De La Hoya said. He also indicated that fans shouldn't discount Andrade from consideration because of the perceived difficulty of the matchup.
"If you think about Canelo, he's a throwback fighter. He fought Mayweather, Trout, Lara. Name another fighter in recent years that's been fighting the toughest guys back to back. Canelo wants to fight the best. This is why people love Canelo. He is willing to fight all comers."
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