Fractured Hand to Sideline Canelo Alvarez for Remainder of 2016

Talks of a hypothetical super showdown between Saul Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin recently hit another snag when it was revealed that Canelo suffered a fractured right hand, thus keeping the Mexican superstar sidelined for the rest of 2016.

Alvarez injured his hand on Saturday at some point during his impressive ninth-round knockout win over England’s Liam “Beefy” Smith in Texas. In that fight, “Canelo” dropped Smith twice before putting him down for good with a crushing left hook to the body. The win allowed Alvarez to capture the Brit’s WBO junior middleweight title in front of the 51,240 fans in attendance at AT&T Stadium.

Golden Boy Promotions had secured a date at Madison Square Garden in New York for Alvarez’s next fight – which would be a week after Golovkin’s next scheduled battle – but those plans have been cast aside.

According to multiple reports, Canelo underwent X-rays and a CT scan, which revealed an avulsion fracture of the right thumb. There is no surgery required and he is expected to make a full recovery, but his hand will be immobilized for the next six weeks and he will not be able to fight again this year.

With that said, Canelo will likely make his return on the weekend of Cinco de Mayo, which is historically the biggest weekend of the year for the Sweet Science.