Alvarez set to face Makabu at cruiserweight in bid to become five-weight world champion

WBC approve request by Canelo to move up two classes for fight in either May or June

Canelo Alvarez, of Mexico, poses with the WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF belts after defeating Caleb Plant in a super middleweight title unification fight Saturday, November 6, 2021, in Las Vegas. AP Photo

Canelo Alvarez, of Mexico, celebrates after defeating Caleb Plant. AP Photo

Canelo Alvarez celebrates. AP Photo

Canelo Alvarez, of Mexico, celebrates after defeating Caleb Plant by TKO in a super middleweight title unification fight. AP Photo

Canelo Alvarez knocks down Caleb Plant for the second time in Round 11 before the contest was called off. AP Photo

Caleb Plant goes down for a second time in Round 11. AP Photo

Referee Russell Mora gives Caleb Plant a standing count. AP Photo

Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant box during their undisputed super middleweight world championship boxing match at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Reuters

Canelo Alvarez hits Caleb Plant. AP Photo

Canelo Alvarez and Caleb Plant box during their undisputed super middleweight world championship boxing match at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Reuters

Caleb Plant hits Canelo Alvarez. AP Photo

Canelo Alvarez hits Caleb Plant. AP Photo

Canelo Alvarez knocks down Caleb Plant in Round 11. Reuters

Caleb Plant is knocked out by Canelo Alvarez. Reuters

Caleb Plant, left, hits Canelo Alvarez. AP Photo

Canelo Alvarez, left, and Caleb Plant fight. AP Photo

Caleb Plant hits Canelo Alvarez. AP Photo

Canelo Alvarez hits Caleb Plant. AP Photo

Canelo Alvarez, of Mexico, stands in the ring at the start of the fight. AP Photo

Canelo Alvarez, of Mexico, enters the arena. AP Photo

Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez looks set to challenge WBC Cruiserweight world champion Ilunga Makabu as the Mexican boxing superstar bids to win titles in five different weight divisions.

The World Boxing Council approved Alvarez's request to move up two divisions to face Makabu at their annual convention on Tuesday night. The fight is likely to take place in either May or June.

"The WBC has approved unanimously Canelo to fight for the WBC cruiserweight championship of the world," president Mauricio Sulaiman said. "This is a surprise to me but I'm sure he will continue to make history."

Alvarez is widely regarded as boxing's pound-for-pound king, a status that has only been cemented over the past 12 months in which he defeated title holders Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, and Caleb Plant to become the super-middleweight division's first ever undisputed champion.

Alvarez won his first world title at light-middleweight in 2011, before becoming a two-weight world champion with his first middleweight title in November 2015. It was at middleweight where Alvarez established himself and fought arguably the two defining fights of his career, against Kazakhstan's Gennady Golovkin.

The Mexican, 31, made the step up to light-heavyweight to face Sergey Kovalev in November 2019, knocking out the Russian in the 11th round to take his WBO belt.

Following his 12-month dominance of the super-middleweight division, Alvarez is in line for one of the biggest challenges of his career against Makabu.

Few would argue against Alvarez's superior boxing skills, but the upper weight limit in the cruiserweight division is 200lbs, more than 30lbs heavier than the maximum in the super-middleweight class (168lbs).

Makubu, who will be naturally the bigger man, carries plenty of knockout power and has rebuilt his career impressively after being knocked out by Tony Bellew in their WBC title fight in 2016.

Since then, the Congolese fighter has reeled off nine successive wins and captured the WBC title against Michał Cieslak in January last year. He successfully defended his belt against Olanrewaju Durodola in December.

Alvarez's professional record stands at 57-1-2 (39 KOs), with his only defeat coming against Floyd Mayweather Jr in September 2013.