Carl Froch believes that Oleksandr Usyk would be one of the few fighters who could beat Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
Alvarez is currently planning to move up to cruiserweight in May to face WBC champion Ilunga Makabu, which would be a huge move up in divisions given Canelo is currently the super middleweight undisputed, and the heaviest he has fought is at 175lbs against Sergey Kovalev back in 2019.
While Froch, himself a former super middleweight world champion, acknowledged that Usyk is focusing on the heavyweight division since his victory over Anthony Joshua for the IBF, WBA and WBO belts, he thinks he would be too good for the Mexican if he returned to the division.
“Any of the top fighters at light-heavyweight could be a threat to Canelo and certainly at cruiserweight,” he told Sky Sports.
“You never know if Oleksandr Usyk could come back down to cruiserweight, but he's got his eyes on the biggest division in the world, which is heavyweight. But I do think Usyk would beat Canelo. He's too big and too good for him.”
Froch also suggested that Artur Beterbiev, the unbeaten Russian light heavyweight champion, would also be a fearsome test at 175lbs.
“When Canelo stepped up to light-heavyweight, he picked his opponent wisely in Sergey Kovalev, who is nearing the closing stages of his career,” he said.
“But Artur Beterbiev stands a good chance of beating Canelo in a really good fight. I don't think it will be one-sided, because Beterbiev is a strong light-heavyweight, he's the No 1 in the division, and a genuine threat.”