Eleider Alvarez eyes another world title shot

On Saturday, January 18, Top Rank Boxing, live on ESPN+, will present former world champion Eleider “Storm” Alvarez against Michael “Cannon Handz” Seals at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, New York.

The pair will battle for the vacant WBC Continental Americas title, but the real prize is a good spot in the quay to challenge for a world title later in the year. 

The Colombian-born Alvarez, who resides in Montreal, Quebec, Canada has been out of the ring since his loss to Sergey Kovalev almost a year ago. The defeat was a rematch from their original fight earlier that saw Alvarez pick up a huge win over the highly-respected Kovalev, along with his WBO 175-pound world title. 

While a foot injury has kept Alvarez out of the ring for a while now, he hopes a win against the rugged Seals will put him in the spotlight again for a world title shot.

Alvarez turned pro in 2009 and would run off 15 straight wins before picking up the WBC silver light heavyweight title in 2014. Over the next 3 years there would be 7 wins and 3 title defenses, including wins against former world champion Lucien Bute and current WBA light heavyweight champion Jean Pascal. Then, in the summer of 2018, Alvarez picked up his biggest career win with a victory over long-reigning champion Sergey Kovalev. Alvarez picked up the WBO world title with the win and at 23-0, with 12 K0’s, was about as hot as you could get among 175-pounders.

However, Kovalev, in a superb display of boxing and ring generalship, picked up his former title in the rematch 6-months later. Now, healed up and rested, in recent interviews, Alvarez made it clear he is excited to get in the ring in Verona and work his way back towards a title shot.

“I am very happy to get back in the ring after this long layoff,” Alvarez said. “I am looking at January 18 to reboot my career against a strong puncher, Michael Seals, and begin my campaign to once again be on top of the boxing world”, he said. “I have a lot of respect for my opponent, but in 2020, nothing will stop me from becoming a world champion again.”