Updated 4 Best Opponents for Canelo Alvarez's Next Fight
Being Canelo Alvarez means never having to say you're sorry.
The Mexican has been a pay-per-view stalwart since dueling with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013 and has captured titles in four divisions covering 21 pounds from junior middleweight/super welterweight to light heavyweight.
He's one of the sport's few undisputed four-belt champions after a series of victories at 168 pounds over Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant in 2020-21, and, these days, he's locking down the details of his next title defense at super middleweight.
His lofty status allows him to call shots when it comes to foes, venues and streaming services, and he narrowed the field for his Cinco de Mayo return by telling TV Azteca on Tuesday (h/t Keith Idec of Boxing Scene) that it would be an American opponent.
News about Canelo is a perpetually high-priority item with the B/R combat team, and his info leak immediately prompted a discussion about who might get the career-changing call. We compiled a list based on who it should be, who we wish it would be, who it probably will be and rounded it out with a would-be internet-busting option.
Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought of your own in the comments.
Who It Should Be: David Benavidez
There's really not much else he can do.
David Benavidez is unbeaten in 28 fights, knocked out 24 opponents and has already had a pair of title reigns in the weight class that were never ended inside a ring.
He's convincingly handled former champs David Lemieux (TKO 3), Caleb Plant (UD 12) and Demetrius Andrade (TKO 6) in his last three fights and moved into prime call-out position by ascending to dual status as the WBC's interim titleholder and mandatory challenger.
And if you think he's not interested in a date with Alvarez, think again.
"For Canelo and everybody else, it just shows I'm not f--king around," he said at the press conference after beating Andrade in November.
He added: "I've been winning the fights I'm supposed to win in fantastic fashion. (Alvarez) has nobody else to fight."
If it's competition he wants, this is the choice to make.
Who We Wish It Would Be: Terence Crawford
No, Terence Crawford's aura doesn't measure up to Canelo's. But the task he's suggesting—jumping from 147 pounds all the way to Alvarez at 168—is PPV gold.
Crawford has done everything there is to do at welterweight, ascending to four-belt status with a stunningly one-sided defeat of Errol Spence Jr. The IBF has since stripped him of its title, but he remains a popular choice as the sport's pound-for-pound king.
He's hinted at a Canelo pursuit since downing Spence, and more than a few people who know what they're looking at say it could be competitive in spite of the 21-pound difference.
"He might be strong enough to have a chance against Canelo, especially since Canelo has lost a step," Billy Lyell, a former middleweight title challenger, told Bleacher Report.
"I think it's a 50/50 chance because they are about the same height. Weight only matters to a large degree when a person is heavier and taller. I don't think weight plays nearly as big a role when they are the same height and reach."
Count us among those eager to find out.
Who It Probably Will Be: Jermall Charlo
It's like tube socks or underwear at Christmas: The present no one wants.
No one beyond the Charlo family is hoping Canelo picks Jermall Charlo, given that the 33-year-old has fought 10 rounds in two-and-a-half years and has one career appearance—in that 10-rounder against Jose Benavidez Jr.—as a full-fledged super middleweight.
The Texan has been the WBC's top-tier middleweight champion for four-plus years, but he's been largely derelict in his duty, risking the belt just four times and not at all since a wide decision over Juan Macias Montiel in June 2021.
He earned a date with Alvarez last fall but nixed it when he said he wasn't prepared, allowing twin brother Jermell to step in for a one-sided loss in late September.
The defeat of Benavidez two months later got Jermall back to blip status, though, and The Ring suggested his position opposite the champion this time around is already a done deal.
No offense, Joseph Santoliquito, but we hope your sources were pulling your chain.
Who Would Break the Internet: Jake Paul
It's as fundamental a combo as jab-jab-cross.
The king of crossover boxing squashes an irrelevant foe, insists it was a colossal achievement and then claims the sport's high-end establishment—read: Canelo—is quivering over the prospect of facing a guy who was schooled last year by Tommy Fury.
Another day in the Jake Paul circus.
He'll repitch the tent in Puerto Rico next month to face 35-year-old Ryan Bourland, who's fought once since 2018, has five wins over plus-.500 opponents and was stopped in less than two minutes by a guy (Israel Duffus) who's gone 1-7 in his last eight fights.
But watch out, Canelo. He's coming for you.
"The path that I'm on now tees me up in the future to fight Canelo," Paul told The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, a few days before stopping Andre August, whose previous opponents were a combined 35-65-6. "It's even just showing him that I can go 10 or 12 rounds with you.
"I've done that with real, legitimate pro boxers and beat them."
Real? Legitimate? Please.
It's a legalized grift with trunks and 10-ounce gloves.
Still, the social media star's device-addled sycophants lap it up. And let's be honest, does anyone doubt they'd pony up $100 apiece to witness the spectacle?
Nope, us neither.