Who Will Canelo Fight Next?

January 2, 2025
2 months
Who Will Canelo Fight Next?

Canelo Alvarez will aim for a big 2025 as we look at who he could face next.

Canelo is the Unified Super Middleweight Champion. He boxed twice in 2024, beating Jaime Munguia and Edgar Berlanga with comfortable unanimous decision wins. But he is no longer the undisputed champion after he chose to vacate his IBF belt rather than face his then-mandatory, William Scull. Scull would later beat Vladimir Shishkin for the vacant IBF belt to take his record to 23-0. If Canelo wants to make history, he could take the Scull fight to become undisputed again. Scull only has nine knockouts to his name, meaning Canelo will fancy his chances of walking his man down. However, the fight may not sit well with fans who want him to face bigger names.

The other alternative is to face Terence Crawford. The fight has been talked about ever since Crawford beat Israil Madrimov to become the WBA Junior Middleweight Champion. The win made Crawford a four-weight world champion. The fight would require Crawford to move up two weight classes. That would make Canelo a massive favorite. He already beat the former Undisputed Junior Middleweight Champion Jermell Charlo, who also moved up two weight divisions. Canelo has said he would take the fight for the right amount of money. If the David Benavidez fight does not happen, Crawford could be a good alternative.

Canelo’s Options

There is the possibility of facing Christian Mbilli. The latter is undefeated, with a 28-0 record and 23 KO wins to his name. He beat Sergiy Derevyanchenko in his last fight. While it was a unanimous decision, the performance was unconvincing. But Mbilli is a fighter capable of stopping his man inside the distance. But he poses a high risk for Canelo if he could face Scull instead for a belt, which is a less risky fight.

There is an outside chance of making the Benavidez fight. The latter will face David Morrell Jr. next on February 1 at 175. If he beats Morrell, he becomes mandatory for the winner of Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol for undisputed. But if there is enough money put on the table, Benavidez would consider coming back down to 168. Canelo has previously said he wanted $150-200 million for the fight. If a compromise can be made for the fight, Canelo could take it. But Crawford is the favorite to secure the fight. Robert Garcia felt it could happen in May.

“I think he’s looking at a fight against Canelo, where it would triple the money he could make against Vergil. So, he’s just playing it smart. I don’t blame him. He’s already 37 and looking at the best fights out there for him when it comes to finances. What I hear is it [Canelo-Crawford] may happen by May. I think Crawford is one of the best fighters out there, but he is up there in age. We won’t know until he fights again. There is that chance [retirement]. It happens in boxing,” Garcia said

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