It’s been a while since we put together an “Around the Curve” piece, and since we have recently entered the second half of the year, now is the best time to do it. Will we see Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. vs. Jake Paul in November? Does Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez vs Edgar Berlanga make sense? Taking it one step further, if it does, should it happen at the Madison Square Garden? Are we getting another New Year’s Eve special in Japan this year? What is David Benavidez doing? All things and more are addressed in this “Jackpot Edition” of Around the Curve.
David Benavidez Will Tell the WBC He’s Staying At 175
The second extension given to David Benavidez will expire on Friday, and according to sources, he will be letting the WBC know that he will continue to compete at light heavyweight. It’s not the path that he would prefer, according to everything Benavidez has said publicly, but he isn’t getting the Canelo Alvarez fight anytime soon. As hard as it may be, Benavidez needs to move on from that fight and get acclimated at light heavyweight. Doing that will set him up for a potential fight with the soon-to-be undisputed light heavyweight champion late in 2025.
The Canelo-Benavidez fight not happening will feel like a knot in boxing fans’ stomachs like when Lennox Lewis vs. Riddick Bowe, Errol Spence Jr. vs Keith Thurman, Mikey Garcia vs. Jorge Linares, etc. all failed to happen when they should have but at like those other fights, that feeling will go away with time.
Canelo vs. Berlanga at the Madison Square Garden?
Plenty of reports have been circulating that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez will be facing Chris Eubank Jr. in Las Vegas, NV, sometime in September or early October. Others have been saying that Edgar Berlanga is still in the running to land a fight with the undisputed super middleweight king. The Eubank Jr. fight will only be worth it if they take it to the U.K. A fight between Canelo and Berlanga could be a big event, but only if they do it in NYC.
If you are going to do it there, there is only one place that would make sense: the big room inside the Madison Square Garden. Although people don’t want to admit it, Canelo’s events have grown a little stale, and Las Vegas is starting to feel the effect of that, as May’s fight against Jaime Munguia did have portions of the arena curtained off, meaning they didn’t sell enough tickets in those areas to justify having it open. A fight at the Garden would be massive, and Berlanga’s fanbase, including the NY Hip-Hop culture, would come out in droves to see that fight.
Although New York’s State taxes could prevent Canelo from having his fight there (NYS taxes are amongst the highest in the country), it’s the only way I can see him having a huge event in America without having to go to the U.K. to face Eubank Jr.
Is Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. The Contingency Plan In Case Mike Tyson Gets Medically DQ’d Again?
Saturday night will mark the return of former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, who hasn’t fought a pro fight in 31 months. Chavez Jr. has been plagued with personal issues which haven’t allowed him to remain an active fighter. If he can look sensational on Saturday against Uriah Hall (1-0), there is a good chance he can recapture the imagination of the fans and become a realistic opponent for someone, but who would it be?
Jake Paul is a smart man and has placed Chavez Jr. on that card specifically to see if he has anything left, and if he does, he would be the perfect replacement for Mike Tyson in November should the hall of famer have to pull out of the event. With the fight at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, TX, the Chavez Jr. fight would be an easy sell. It all depends on Saturday so it’s up to Chavez Jr. to punch his way to yet another seven-figure payday.
Could We See Kosei Tanaka vs. Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez on New Year’s Eve in Japan?
Fresh off his tenth-round stoppage at his home in Nicaragua, Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez is exploring his options at both bantamweight and super flyweight. A fight that was once deemed as “never happening” now has a slight chance, as Gonzalez mentioned a fight with Jesse ‘Bam’ Rodriguez could happen as mentioned last week in Nicaragua. There are other options at bantamweight, but the best fight for Gonzalez is with WBO super flyweight champion Kosei Tanaka (20-1, 11 KOs).
It’s been four years since Tanaka was stopped by former unified champion Kazuto Ioka (31-3-1, 16 KOs). Tanaka has won five in a row since then but hasn’t looked like the guy who was going to be the next pound-for-pound fighter coming out of Japan. Tanaka has a fight on Saturday against Jonathan Rodriguez (25-2-1, 17 KOs), but should he come out of that one with a victory, there is a strong chance he will get his opportunity at the great ‘Chocolatito’ on the most celebrated holiday of the year in Japan: New Year’s Eve.
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