Will Lara Be Next For Canelo?

Three up and three down. In Baseball thats a great inning of pitching. In Boxing that's a horrible string of luck. And for Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (40-0, 29 Ko's) that's how many opponents have dropped out of his upcoming fight. It's a nightmare that Canelo Alvarez is currently still trying to find his way through, on his mission to find a new opponent for his upcoming September 15^th bout. Last Saturday was the latest future opponent of Alvarez's to fall out of the September 15^th bout, as Victor Ortiz was upset by Josesito Lopez at the Staples Center in Los Angeles by TKO. Once again this week Alvarez and his team were sent back to the drawing board, scrambling for another opponent as September 15^th comes closer and closer.

Golden Boy Promotions who promotes Alvarez, reportedly earlier this week said they had the search narrowed down to three possible fights. Since then Golden Boy has stayed some what silent. It was first believed Austin Trout, Carlos Quintana, and Vanes Martirosyan were the front runners. But now there have been rumors of Carlos Molina among others throwing there hat into the Canelo sweepstakes. As more and more possible opponents stack up, Golden Boy Promotions is simply making it to hard on themselves. Sometimes the best answer is right in front of you. In this case the answer is Cuban standout Erislandy Lara.

Erislandy Lara who is back in action this Saturday on Showtime, was a sensational amateur in Cuba earning many accolades. Lara defected in 2008 to begin his pro career here in the United States. Since making his pro debut Lara hasn't let any of the lofty expectations get to him. Lara in his first 15 bouts went (15-0, 10 Ko's). In his last 3 it may appear Lara came back down to earth a little, earning his first lost against Paul Williams in New Jersey. However as most know Lara was brutally robbed in that fight by the three judges. Erislandy Lara for all purposes should be a undefeated fighter much like Canelo Alvarez is. Lara like Alvarez is also promoted by Golden Boy. So why hasn't Lara been considered as a opponent for Alvarez September 15^th?

Most of it undoubtedly has to do with Golden Boy's wish to make more money in the future off the two stepping in the ring together. Even though Lara has been sensational, part of Golden Boy would love for Lara to mow down more competition to inflate his record for the future. Two fighters with over 25 wins is even easier to promote then one fighter with just 16 wins. But that's not even the biggest reason still Golden Boy is staying away from the two squaring off.

Above all at the end of the day matching up Erislandy Lara against Canelo Alvarez at this point in there careers is far two risky. A devastating loss for either of them at this point could derail the loser possibly. And with both being two of Golden Boy's biggest stars in the making, why risk that right now? It would be a phenomenal bout for sure, but for now Golden Boy would rather let the pot percolate some more, for a possible future bout with more money attached.

The greatest challenge for Alvarez right now could be right in front of him in Lara, but don't expect to see this fight signed anytime soon. For now Golden Boy Promotions will stick with the other options put in front of them.

Who's Next For Canelo?

At one time or another in life everyone has had that one friend, date, or family member cancel plans on them. It's no doubt very annoying and frustrating. Just imagine it happening three times in a row, with a different person every time. This is the constant frustrating reality that Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (40-0, 29 Ko's) is facing as he tries to find an opponent for his scheduled September 15^th Pay Per View fight. In the past couple months we have seen three future opponents of Alvarez drop out in different ways.

  

First Alvarez was set to face Paul Williams, but after an unfortunate motorcycle accident William's was forced to drop out. Next came James Kirkland and while for a couple days it looked certain they would face off, Kirkland and his team dropped out due to there end wanting more money. Then finally Victor Ortiz had an agreement to fight September 15^th, but after an upset loss to Josesito Lopez Saturday night, he now to is out of the September 15^th clash. This now leaves Canelo Alvarez and his team to find yet again another opponent. But who else is left for the young red headed sensation?

CEO of Golden Boy Promotions Richard Schaefer who promotes Alvarez, has declined to confirm what opponents they are considering at this point. All that he has confirmed is there are three opponents that they will pick from now. The three opponents on the table we assume are Vanes Martirosyan, Carlos Quintana, and Austin Trout. Although there may be a couple others who fall into play, those three presumably are the three on the decision table.

All three are respectable opponents for Canelo Alvarez but none as good as the three previous opponent that had been lined up. Vanes Martirosyan (32-0, 20 Ko's) one of the opponents possible for Alvarez has adamantly wanted Alvarez for quite some time now. Even recently Martirosyan has called out Alvarez on Twitter and other social networking sites. On paper Martirosyan does set up for a respectable bout with two undefeated fighters. The only detractor from the fight taking place has been Martirosyan seemingly dodging opponents put in front of him, including a WBC eliminator between Martirosyan and young Cuban Erislandy Lara just a few short months ago.

Another possible Undefeated opponent that could face Alvarez this September could be southpaw Austin Trout. Trout (25-0, 14 Ko's) is coming off a victory against Delvin Rodriguez June 2^nd. Before Victor Ortiz was announced to be next in line at the time, it seemed Trout could be a heavy favorite to face Alvarez next. Trout who didn't look sensational in his last bout does pride himself on being a solid defensive fighter. That along with being a southpaw could give Canelo Alvarez some issues. If Trout was signed to face Alvarez most likely the September 15^th date would be moved from a Pay Per View bout to a Showtime or even a CBS contest.

Though the last option for Alvarez and his team Golden Boy Promotions does have three losses, Carlos Quintana (29-3, 23 Ko's). He does present an interesting variable. Quintana as we saw in his last bout against Deandre Latimore on the Floyd Mayweather Miguel Cotto under card, posses the ability to end fights with one punch. Quintana in that fight as well as others hit Latimore with a few punches that simply stunned him leading to a impressive TKO. That's the factor that could put Quintana in the lead for September 15^th. But like a possible Austin Trout bout Golden Boy Promotions would most likely make the Calors Quintana fight on Showtime or CBS.

All three as stated are pretty good opponents. It will be seen though if young Cuban Erislandy Lara gets a long look for September, although Golden Boy has stated many times they would like to hype the fight more for the future, before the two square off.

Canelo Alvarez for sure has just about had enough match making and wants to just step back into the squared circle. Three possible opponents and all three are respectable that could still present a challenge. With all this shifting of opponents, just leave yourself with this question though. How long before Miguel Cotto's fire gets ignited and wants back in the ring? Who would you like to see Canelo Alvarez face next?