What’s Next For Canelo?

Canelo Alvarez beat Edgar Berlanga via a unanimous decision, raising question marks over his next steps. 

Canelo defended his unified super middleweight belts in a dominant fashion. He dropped Berlanga in round three. While the challenger got up, Canelo was by far the superior fighter. Prior to the fight, there was criticism over the Berlanga fight. Oscar De La Hoya slammed the fight, calling it a ‘snoozefest.’

The other alternatives in the super middleweight division are as follows. There are possible fights with Christian Mbilli and Caleb Plant. Mbilli stated his desire to face the best after beating Sergiy Derevyanchenko in his last fight. Further wins could set up a Canelo rematch. 

Canelo’s Options

Another alternative is the Caleb Plant rematch. Canelo beat Plant in 2021, stopping him in the 11th round following a fiery build-up. Plant attempted to slap Canelo during their face-off before Alvarez countered to cut Plant under his eye. Plant has said he wants to rematch Canelo. Following Plant’s win over Trevor McCumby, there is a narrative for a rematch.

Elsewhere, Canelo could box Terence Crawford or David Benavidez in mega fights. A fight with Crawford has been entertained for some time. Canelo initially ruled it out, stating that he gets no credit for winning against a smaller fighter. But Canelo has backtracked somewhat, saying it could still happen. That would depend on whether there is enough money offered. Alvarez wanted $200 million to fight Benavidez, which was seen as pricing himself out. Unless Canelo lowers his demands, it is tough to see where he goes next. 

Who Will It Be?

There is an outside chance of fighting Conor McGregor. Canelo and McGregor have had verbal exchanges on social media for some time. McGregor was critical of Canelo’s footwork, stating that he could beat the Mexican. Canelo reacted by calmly stating that he only needed one hand to beat the Irishman. With McGregor struggling for his next UFC fight, there is a possibility that he will take that fight if Dana White agrees.

Michael Chandler will face Charles Oliveira at UFC 309, raising questions over McGregor’s future. White said The Notorious will fight early next year. But if Chandler loses, there is no guarantee that fight will happen. McGregor may then need a new opponent. Canelo is keen on the fight, while McGregor wants to get active as soon as possible.

“My opponent that I was scheduled to fight has rescheduled another bout. I would love maybe an exemption, or maybe a joint partnership, Bare Knuckle-UFC, similar to McGregor Sports and Entertainment and Mayweather Promotions. Some sort of agreement where we can get busy. I need to be busy and right now I’m working to get there. So let’s see what happens,” McGregor said

In his post-fight comments, Canelo said he would take some time off before deciding what to do next.

“I did good. Now what are they gonna say? I fight younger fighters; before they say I only fight older fighters. They always talk. I’m the best fighter in the world. He said he respects me, I’m his idol. He said he feels bad for the way he acted. But you know, he did good. With adrenaline, I got a little angry. I’m Mexican, man. Viva Mexico, cabrones. I’m gonna rest, enjoy my family now, and then I’m gonna decide,” Canelo said

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