What Are Canelo’s Next Four Fights?
Canelo Alvarez has signed a four-fight deal with the Saudis, raising question marks over where he goes next.
Canelo’s new deal will see him fight in The Kingdom for three of those fights, with one of the bouts taking place in the US. The US fight will be against Terence Crawford, ruling out a Jake Paul fight. This raises question marks over the other fights.
“I’m waiting on Canelo in September and going to shock the world in Riyadh Season,” Crawford
“Canelo in Riyadh in May, then the biggest fight in the history of boxing [against Crawford] in September, and then two more in 2026. Don’t mess with the lion,” Turki Alalshikh
Canelo could take on the IBF Super Middleweight Champion William Scull next. Scull was meant to fight Canelo initially as he was the IBF mandatory. But Canelo was stripped after he chose to face Edgar Berlanga instead. Berlanga was seen as the bigger fight commercially. It sold 650,000 PPVs and produced a live gate of $17 million. Meanwhile, Scull defeated Vladimir Shishkin to win the vacant title, taking his record to 23-0. A win over Scull makes him undisputed for a second time at 168. It also makes any Crawford fight bigger since it would be for undisputed.
Another option is to face Dmitry Bivol. Bivol defeated Canelo in 2022 via a unanimous decision. Canelo wanted the rematch at 175 pounds, but it never happened, as Bivol wanted it at 168 for undisputed. But Bivol faces Artur Beterbiev in his next fight on February 22 for undisputed at 175. If he becomes undisputed, Canelo may target that fight at 175. Alternatively, if Canelo is undisputed at 168, Bivol could take that bout.
Who Will He Face?
Equally, there is the opportunity to face Chris Eubank Jr. Reports indicated that there were talks over this fight before Canelo faced Berlanga. The fight would produce a lot of numbers if it took place in the UK. Eubank has a massive fanbase there, while it gives Canelo a chance to enter the UK market. But if Canelo’s future is in Saudi, there are questions over whether that fight is the biggest to be made.
Fans could still demand the David Benavidez fight. Benavidez is the WBC mandatory for the undisputed light heavyweight title between Beterbiev and Bivol. Canelo previously demanded $150-200 million for that fight. If Canelo’s four-fight deal includes a big sum, Benavidez could be included in that deal. This is particularly true if Benavidez becomes undisputed at 175.
There is also an outside chance of facing Jermall Charlo. Charlo was meant to box Canelo before his brother Jermell Charlo took the bout. Jermell lost a unanimous decision, setting the narrative for Jermall to get revenge. Jermall moved up from 154, while Jermell would be coming up from 160, making that less of a challenge move. Those four fights will likely see out Canelo’s career, meaning he will want the most lucrative bouts.
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