Photo is courtesy of cbc.ca
On Saturday, November 6, Saul "Canelo" Alvarez defeated Caleb Plant via 11th round technical knockout to become the first ever undisputed champion of the Super Middleweight division and the first ever Mexican born undisputed champion. Canelo fought four times over the past eleven months in his effort to become the undisputed champion at 168 pounds. So its understandable that its been reported that Canelo will take some time off and wait till May for his next fight. Most likely during Cinco De Mayo weekend. So the question is, who should Canelo fight next?
David Benavidez
Photo via Bad Left Hook
The first option for Canelo is to defend his newly won Undisputed Super Middleweight crown and the first person in line to challenge the pound for pound king for all his belts is David Benavidez. Benavidez is currently 24-0 with 21 wins by way of knockout. The Phoenix, Arizona native once held the WBC Super Middleweight Title and lost it due having a drug test that was positive for cocaine. Benavidez regained the title and lost it due to not making weight prior his fight against Roamer Alexis Angulo on August 15, 2020. The former WBC champ is set to fight Kyron Davis (16-2-1) on November 13th. If Benavidez wins in impressive fashion, he definitely sets himself up to be Canelo's next opponent.
Jermall Charlo
Photo courtesy of ABC 13
Jermall Charlo should be in the conversation to be Canelo's next opponent. Charlo is currently the WBC Middleweight Champion with a record of 32 wins, 0 losses, and 22 wins by way of knockout. Charlo does not have an opponent set up and last fought in June, so there will most likely be an announcement soon. Charlo has been a consistent force in the middleweight division and should be able to move up to super middleweight with no issue if that is where Canelo wants the fight to be. Charlo is very athletic with knockout power in both hands and the heart of a lion. He looks like a very formidable opponent for Canelo.
Demetrius Andrade
Photo courtesy of DAZN
Demetrius "Boo Boo" Andrade has been chasing a big time fight for a long time now. Andrade is the current WBO middleweight champion who has not been shy when it comes to his opinion of Canelo. Boo Boo believes he is better than Canelo and desperately wants the chance to show it. Andrade does have a resume that is worthy of a Canelo opponent as he is 30-0 with 18 wins by way of knockout. Andrade is set to face Jason Quigley (19-1) on November 19th. Boo Boo can make a statement with a knockout over Quigley. Andrade is a flashy, southpaw, who can fight both from distance and on the inside. He would give Canelo a good fight.
Artur Beterbiev
Photo via Ring Magazine
Canelo Alvarez has fought once at the light heavyweight limit of 175 pounds as he defeated Sergey Kovalev to win a piece of the light heavyweight crown in 2019. Kovalev is a great name to have on your resume but was well passed his prime when Canelo knocked him out. Canelo then moved down to super middleweight after that win. So if Canelo wants to be able to say he is the best light heavyweight in the world. He needs to beat Artur Beterbiev who is the current WBC and IBF light heavyweight champion. Beterbiev has a record of 16 wins, 0 losses, with all 16 wins coming by way of knockout. Beterbiev will defend his titles against Marcus Browne (24-1) on December 17th. If Beterbiev continues his knockout streak, he will be hard to ignore as a possible opponent for the biggest star in boxing. Canelo has yet to be knocked down in his career, let alone knocked out. Would Beterbiev be the one who could truly test Canelo's chin?
Gennadiy Golovkin
Photo via CBS Sports
The fight that a lot of boxing fans would want to see is the third fight between Canelo and Gennadiy Golovkin better known as "GGG". I personally do not want to see this fight as I think Canelo in his prime going against a 39-year old GGG isn't the best fight. I also have to acknowledge that this bout makes too many cents to not make sense. The first two bouts between these two were highly competitive and lots of boxing fans believe GGG should of won the first bout that was scored a draw. GGG has a record of 41 wins, 1 loss, and 36 wins by way knockout. Golovkin is one of the greatest middleweights of all time and looked great in his last bout. This fight would be an easy sell for a pay-per-view event. Could GGG pull out another great effort to give Canelo another big time challenge?
Canelo Alvarez has the boxing world at his feet right now and endless options when it comes to his future. He is already built a hall of fame resume but wants to be one of the greatest to ever do it. We are witnessing greatness right now. Let's appreciate it. I can't wait to see what Canelo tries to conquer next.