Boxing: Who’s Next For Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez?

There’s no doubting who the biggest current star in boxing is. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez holds that mantle after his rampant rise to prominence in recent years.

While the retired Floyd Mayweather Jr is typically still keeping himself in the headlines with his tiring ‘will he or wont he return’ talk, it’s the Mexican who sits atop the sport’s throne as the most marketable box office attraction.

So speculation is therefore ongoing as to who ‘Canelo’ will face next in the ring once boxing returns safely during the ongoing global pandemic.

The 29-year-old has plenty of options across several different divisions right now but here are the leading potential opponents for his next high-profile bout.

Gennadiy Golovkin

The most widely touted next match-up for Alvarez is to complete a trilogy with his biggest rival Gennadiy Golovkin.

‘Canelo’ came out on top in the pair’s superb and evenly-matched rematch in September 2018, following the controversial first split draw exactly a year prior.

It’s the reigning middleweight kingpin that is seen as the odds-on 4/11* favourite with 888Sport for a second straight victory over his long-standing nemesis in any possible third meeting.

Meanwhile, ‘GGG’ is 5/2* with Betfair to rally to what would be a career-best triumph and a hugely impressive feat considering he’s now 38 years of age.

Golovkin is undoubtedly nearing the end of his impressive career, while ‘Canelo’ is seemingly at his peak, but the Kazakh would likely be able to conjure up one more big performance against his most compelling rival in an intriguing third showdown.

Billy Joe Saunders

A super-middleweight meeting with Billy Joe Saunders was reportedly set to take place on May 2nd for ‘Canelo’.

Alvarez won a lesser regarded belt at 168lbs when he dominated and stopped another British fighter Rocky Fielding in December 2018, while Saunders is the current owner of the WBO strap.

It’s a match-up that’s been a long time coming but it was scuppered by the coronavirus and subsequent suspension of the sport until health and safety measures can be met for future shows.

The Englishman is regarded as a sizeable 4/1* underdog with Betfair in any potential clash with the Mexican superstar but it may not occur until next year, unfortunately.

Callum Smith

While Saunders had seemingly won the race to face Alvarez during the past Cinco de Mayo weekend in Las Vegas, it’s his fellow Briton Callum Smith that was edged out to that bout.

The Liverpudlian is the reigning WBA and Ring Magazine title holder after going all the way to clinch the super-middleweight version of the World Boxing Super Series and Muhammad Ali Trophy.

Smith was believed to be in the driving seat for the lottery ticket that is a clash with ‘Canelo’ but Golden Boy Promotions CEO Oscar De La Hoya claimed that the Englishman actually turned down an offer for the fight.

Paddy Power see the Merseysider as a 5/2* outsider to dethrone ‘Canelo’ if the pair were to meet in a super-middleweight encounter at a later date.

Other potential opponents

The aforementioned names are the higher profile potential opponents for the sport’s leading light but there are other options across different weight classes as well.

Although ‘Canelo’ moved all the way up to light-heavyweight to dethrone Russian fighter Sergey Kovalev and has campaigned more recently at super-middleweight, he hasn’t ruled out a return to middleweight.

If he were to drop back down to 160lbs an intriguing clash for him there would be Ryota Murata, the WBA ‘regular’ belt holder from Japan.

That would make for a huge event in Japan against a former Olympic Gold medallist, one which would draw a massive audience and help build Alvarez’s fanbase even further.

Meanwhile, Demetrius Andrade is another possible option as he boasts the WBO crown at middleweight and he has long been craving a big-name clash.

Caleb Plant or David Benavidez are also interesting super-middleweight foes for boxing’s biggest star if he preferred remaining at 168lbs.

The now 29-year-old has no shortage of options though and his current stature in the sport means he will likely have a big say on who will actually collide with him in the squared-circle next.

*odds correct at time of writing