Canelo Alvarez Will Not Fight Again in 2016 After Fracturing Thumb

Omar Vega/LatinContent/Getty Images(NEW YORK) — Canelo Alvarez will not fight again this year.

The World Boxing Organization junior middleweight champion fractured his right thumb defeating England’s Liam Smith in a knockout victory Saturday night and will have to scrap a fight in December, according to Golden Boy Promotions.

“Canelo’s hand will be immobilized for the next six weeks, and he will be unable to fight again in 2016. This does nothing to Canelo’s plans to move up and take on the best in the middleweight division next year,” a statement from Golden Boy said according to ESPN.

Alvarez was scheduled for a live fight in December at Madison Square Garden in New York. Instead, he’ll fight early next year or wait for a scheduled Cinco de Mayo fight in May.

Plans for boxing’s biggest fight, between Alvarez and unified middleweight titleholder Gennady Golovkin, are still planned for a year from now.

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