Canelo Alvarez has limited options if the Mexican superstar wants to remain at the super middleweight limit.
Following his dominant win over Gennadiy Golovkin in Las Vegas, Canelo is back on the road to becoming the Pound for Pound king once again.
However, the age of GGG and how one-sided the bout on DAZN PPV was didn’t do enough to warrant overtaking Oleksandr Usyk.
Canelo carded a close unanimous decision victory on two cards as he beat Glovkin in their trilogy fight. But anyone with two eyeballs knows the fight on Saturday night was not as close as two officials saw the contest.
Golovkin’s best chance of beating Canelo came five years earlier in their first fight when he got robbed in a controversial draw. The rematch wasn’t much better in terms of scoring.
Having met his Kazakh nemesis for the final time in their rivalry, Canelo has a big decision regarding his future.
Who will Canelo Alvarez fight next?
So, who’s next for Canelo?
Dmitry Bivol is the first obvious choice as Canelo aims to avenge his loss in May 2022. Bivol used his superior jab to fend off Canelo.
The work from that excellent shot was enough to win the rounds against frustrated Canelo at the T-Mobile Arena.
But facing Bivol may come with a price for the 32-year-old undisputed world champion. Challenging the light heavyweight championship for the third time will undoubtedly give sanctioning bodies a headache.
The WBA 175-pound title is a straightforward option and one Canelo does want to take from Bivol. However, it’s not as easy as picking who he wants to face.
Does Canelo have a mandatory challenger?
Canelo has three mandatories at 168 pounds. The WBA, WBC, and IBF all have completed eliminators.
Therefore, if Canelo wants to keep his belts, he must inform those three organizations that he intends to adhere to at least one.
The three boxers in line are John Ryder of Great Britain, Mexican former two-time world titleholder David Benavidez, and Cuban contender William Scull.
Currently, the WBO is in the process of a purse bid for their eliminator involving Demetrius Andrade and Zach Parker.
Brit Ryder defeated ex-Canelo foe Danny Jacobs in London to claim his spot back seven months ago. Scull beat Evgeny Shvedenko in July to earn the number one position with the IBF.
But it’s Benavidez who has waited for the longest and should be the next up to bat.
Benavidez defeated Ronald Ellis in March of 2021 as a WBC eliminator. He followed that up by beating David Lemieux via knockout to win the interim strap in May this year.
When will Canelo fight again?
The 25-year-old [26-0, 23 KOs], by rights, should be the only fighter in the opposite corner for Canelo’s next outing, tentatively scheduled for Cinco de Mayo, 2023.
A hand injury worsened in the GGG trilogy is the only thing standing in the way of that fight date. Any return in December has already been ruled out.
The “Cinnamon” one has a dilemma. Does he go for the 175-pound title or remain at 168 and face all comers?
Conversation with Eddie Hearn and DAZN will come in the next few weeks before Canelo announces any decision to the WBC, IBF, or WBA.
A final decision on his opponent for the Mexican celebration event that causes a frenzy at the MGM Grand won’t usually get confirmed before January.
As evident in recent years, the WBC is usually lenient with Canelo Alvarez on his world title stipulations.
WBN Editor Phil Jay has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews, Instagram, and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
