Canelo Will Return In May; Who Is Next?

Eddie Reynoso has said that Canelo Alvarez will likely return to the ring in May in time for Cinco de Mayo, as questions remain over his next fight.
Canelo’s last boxing performance was against Edgar Berlanga. He defeated Berlanga on Mexican Independence Weekend via a unanimous decision. Canelo held his own as he went up against UFC 306, which took place at The Sphere. It was the first combat sports event from the arena, headlined by Sean O’Malley and Merab Dvalishvili. The pressure was on Canelo to perform and produce some solid numbers. It lived up to the billing, as Canelo’s fight sold 650,000 PPVs. It also generated a live gate of $17 million. In his post-fight comments, Canelo revealed that he would take some time before deciding where to go next.
Canelo’s Form
He chose to face Berlanga rather than facing his IBF mandatory William Scull. Canelo was stripped of the belt as Scull faced Vladimir Shishkin to win the vacant title. Canelo’s next opponent could be Scull, as a win makes him undisputed at 168 pounds again. He would make history by becoming undisputed for the second time in the weight class. Scull is also not a big puncher since he only has nine knockouts in his 23 victories. The other option is against the dangerous Cristian Mbilli. Mbilli is a knockout artist.
His current record stands at 28-0. 23 of his wins by way of knockout. Mbilli does not offer Canelo any belts, meaning that is a much riskier fight. There are reports that Canelo is expected to face Terence Crawford in September during the Mexican Independence Weekend.
The fight would require Crawford to move up two weight classes to take on the challenge at 168. Canelo has previously said that he does not want any catchweight. Any fight would have to take place at that weight limit. He referenced Crawford making the same point when there were links with him fighting Gervonta Davis.
“Like he says when they ask him about Gervonta Davis, it’s the same for me. Everybody’s gonna say, ‘He’s too small.’ Nobody’s gonna give me credit for that,” Canelo stated
Canelo’s Return
A fight against Scull is more pragmatic for Canelo. It is less risky than Mbilli. It also gives him an opportunity to test out any game plan that he wants for Crawford. Scull is known for being a good boxer rather than a power puncher, something which Crawford may look to do. Regardless, Canelo’s future will be made clear very soon.
“Well, there are several [possible opponents], there is William Scull, and there is the other one ranked by the WBO, [Christian] Mbilli, I think he lives in Canada. They are the ones that are more or less there right now, but there is nothing concrete. We’ve also heard about [Terence] Crawford for September [as an opponent]. But we really don’t have anything certain yet until about 15 days or so [from now],” Canelo said
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