CANELO ALVAREZ shows no signs of stopping after he retained his three super-middleweight titles against Edgar Berlanga.
At 34 years old and a staggering 66 fights under his belt no-one would begrudge the four-weight champion the chance to ride off into the sunset.
Since losing to Dmitry Bivol in May 2022 Canelo has racked up five wins against Gennadiy Golovkin, John Ryder, Jermell Charlo, Jaime Munguia and Berlanga, respectively. The Mexican has never come close to losing to any of them and there lies the problem for fans. Critics will continue to dissect the level of opposition not that that would bother the multi-millionaire prizefighter.
Attention now turns to who the 168lbs boss will fight next. Boxing News assesses the options and possibilities.
Benavidez is the fans number one pick (Getty Images)
DAVID BENAVIDEZ
As long as Canelo continues to fight the name of David Benavidez will remain the number one choice of opponent for fans. The chances the fight takes place remain more distant than ever but in 2025 Turki Alalshikh could be the man to deliver the right number to Canelo which finally forces his hand and gets him in the ring with Benavidez. For now Benavidez will continue to campaign at light-heavyweight.
Crawford is calling for a fight against Canelo despite the weight disparity.
TERENCE CRAWFORD
Crawford knows exactly how much a fight against Canelo is worth to him so that alone makes the chase worth it. However, Canelo doesn’t see the benefit of fighting a man currently fighting in a division 14lbs lighter than super-middleweight. Fighters making their way through multiple weight classes isn’t new to boxing but Canelo may take a lot of convincing this is the right option for him.
Beterbiev (L) and Bivol (R) meet for 175lbs supremacy in October. (Getty Images)
DMITRY BIVOL
Bivol already holds a win over Canelo and showed he was by far the better boxer. The WBA light-heavyweight champion has serious business to handle first on October 12 against triple-title holder Artur Beterbiev. Should Bivol win then his undisputed status would not only appeal to Canelo but his asking price would increase dramatically as well. Canelo wants revenge, however, and has made no secret of his desire to become a two-weight undisputed champion.
ARE THERE ANY OTHER OPTIONS?
Yes. Canelo could skip light-heavyweight and move on to cruiserweight. Gilberto Ramirez, a former world super-middleweight champion, isn’t the most powerful force at 200lbs but should he unify the division against Chris Billam-Smith in November he may become an option for Canelo. And let’s face it the Mexican would love nothing more than to beat another Oscar De La Hoya promoted fighter.
Janibek Alimkhanuly could come into the picture in 2025. The unified middleweight champion will eventually move to 168lbs and wouldn’t be an expensive choice for Canelo and his team.
Christian Mbilli looks like the biggest threat to Canelo at super-middleweight. That changes if Benavidez moves back down, however. Mbilli, though, is edging closer to his first world title shot and his all-action style gives the WBC number one contender a chance against the champion. Diego Pacheco cannot be ruled out either. The WBO number one contender is arguably less of a threat than Mbilli which may appeal to Canelo’s team.
