23-year-old looks to get back on track after first career loss
Former world light middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez will make his return to the ring after a loss to Floyd Mayweather on a March 8 card with three world title bouts, promoters said Friday.
Mexico’s Alvarez, 42-1-1 with 30 knockouts, dropped a majority decision to the unbeaten American last September to lose the World Boxing Association and World Boxing Council crowns.
Alvarez, a 23-year-old whose nickname is Spanish for Cinnamon, will face compatriot Alfredo Angulo, 22-3 with 18 knockouts.
Also on the card will be Mexico’s unbeaten Leo Santa Cruz, 27-0 with one draw and 15 knockouts, defending the WBC super bantamweight title against Mexican southpaw and former world champion Cristian Mijares, 49-7 with two drawn and 24 knockouts.
Mexico’s Carlos Molina, 22-5 with two drawn and six knockouts, makes the first defense of his International Boxing Federation junior middleweight title against unbeaten American Jermall Charlo, 17-0 with 13 knockouts.
Alvarez’s brother Ricardo, 23-2 with three drawn and 14 knockouts, gets into the act when he challenges unbeaten Omar Figueroa, 24-0 with one draw and 17 knockouts, for the WBC interim lightweight crown.
American Adrien Broner won the WBC lightweight title last February but has fought his past two bouts at welterweight and invoked a rematch clause to avenge his first career loss for another fight against Argentina’s Marcos Maidana, which means the interim champion is likely to take over the full title.
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