The WBC gave Saul “Canelo” Alvarez 15 days to negotiate a bout with WBO, IBO, IBF middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin in line with the Mexican champ’s mandatory title defense. With just five days left before the clock runs out, Alvarez has not indicated any move yet.

After winning a 12-round unanimous decision over Miguel Cotto last month, Alvarez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) has yet to make a move whether he will fight Golovkin or relinquish his WBC middleweight belt, making the “GGG” the automatic titleholder. Alvarez has stated he is ready to defend his title against Golovkin but insisted it would be at a catchweight of 155 pounds.

“We are quite comfortable at this weight and it suits us,” Alvarez’s trainer Eddy Reynoso told ESPN Deportes. “We are not inventing a new division; it’s just part of the business and everyone looks for what suits them, and whoever wants to fight with Saul will have to come down or go up.”

Golovkin seems to lean on fighting Alvarez at the full 160-pound weight limit, where the Kazakh power puncher fights well. But according to K2 Promotions managing director Tom Loeffler, they are optimistic about the change of Golovkin fighting Alvarez.

“I think Canelo at some point will definitely fight Gennady,” Loeffler said, reports the New York Times. “I think they’re on a collision course. Whether it happens next fight, two fights down the road, a year down the road, I think that’s going to be a huge fight.”

Alvarez may not have the luxury to be picky in fighting Golovkin as the title defense has been mandated by the WBC. But if the governing body decides to change their mind about their verdict for Alvarez, it would look bad in the eyes of boxing fans, according to Dan Ambrose of Boxing News 24.

Ambrose noted that it does not make sense for the champion to force their mandatory challengers to agree to a catchweight-stipulated bouts because it would “tilt the playing field” in favor of champions like Alvarez, who has fought at a handicap fight in his last four victories.

Meanwhile, Boxing Scene reported that Golovkin could fight in Texas in February or March next year. While there is no confirmation yet who his opponent will be, there is a great chance it would be against Alvarez, considering how eager the Kazakh is in unifying all the title belts in the middleweight class.

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