Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has been linked multiple times to a potential bout vs. WBA and IBO middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, but a more lucrative fight with his Mexican compatriot Canelo Alvarez could happen next year if some things break Chavez's way.
Canelo Alvarez is hoping for a pay-per-view blockbuster against WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto next year. They are two of boxing's biggest attractions, and among the few bona fide pay per view draws left in the sport. Alvarez is Mexico's most prominent fighter currently, and the same can be said of Cotto for his native Puerto Rico. The rivalry between Mexico and Puerto Rico is storied, and this fight would be the biggest clash since Golden Boy president Oscar De La Hoya fought Felix Trinidad in 1999.
Golovkin, however, could blow up those plans. The WBC has ordered Cotto to face the winner of Golovkin vs. Marco Antonio Rubio to defend his title, and Cotto would be an underdog in that matchup. It's unclear what a loss would do to Cotto's marketability for a bout with Alvarez; also, that probably wouldn't allow for enough time to get a Cotto-Alvarez bout together for Cinco De Mayo weekend.
Enter JCC Jr. While Chavez Jr. isn't the star that Cotto is, he's extremely popular with Mexican fans, one of boxing's largest fan bases. A clash on Cinco De Mayo between Alvarez and Chavez Jr. has the potential to match an Alvarez-Cotto fight financially and could be easier to make.
De La Hoya has not ruled out the possibility.
"For next year we are looking for Canelo to face Miguel Cotto, but we would also want to do the fight between Chavez Jr. and Saul. It would be great for boxing," De La Hoya said. "There have already been talks about it and one possibility is that they do it at 159 pounds."
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