Canelo Alvarez's Next Fight Set As He Looks To Fight Abroad To Expand His Brand

Canelo Alvarez is set to face Ryota Murata in Japan as the middleweight king eyes fights abroad to expand his brand.

A bout between WBA (super) world middleweight champion Canelo and WBA (regular) world middleweight champion Murata is reportedly in the works for September.

The world title clash could also take place in Japan rather than America, where Canelo has been fighting most of his professional career.

Murata, 34, won an Olympic gold medal in London before turning professional and is a huge star in Japan.

He's 16-2 and holds a version of the middleweight world title. He last fought in December 2019, when he stopped Steven Butler.

Canelo, who has fought all his pro fights in either Mexico or America, is looking to fight internationally to expand his brand with his promoter hinting at a fight in the U.K.

"He wants to fight abroad and we have discussed with him fighting in Japan, a homecoming in Mexico, and the UK. He has considered all of those options and, before he retires, he will fight abroad," Golden Boy president Eric Gomez said.

"It's about his brand. He wants to become a more international star, not just fighting in the US. He wants to become an even bigger star than he is now. He has fans all over the world and he wants to build on that."

Of course, the Mexican superstar was supposed to take on Billy Joe Saunders on May 2 until the coronavirus crisis nixed the contest.

And it appears the undefeated Brit will have to wait to get a shot at Canelo.

But Canelo vs. Saunders could now potentially take place in the UK with Gomez keen on expanding his client's brand on an international stage.

Canelo, meanwhile, hasn't fought since beating Sergey Kovalev to capture the WBO world light-heavyweight title in November 2019.