AROUND two months remain until Canelo Alvarez returns to the ring in one of his favourite months. Canelo has become synonymous with September over the years. A month which is almost exclusively reserved for boxing’s biggest star and provides a date for Mexican Independence Day – when all Mexicans can celebrate their heritage while watching their hero destroy an overmatched opponent (most of the time).
But this year there seems to be a problem with picking the right adversary. Canelo has so much power in boxing that choosing who he wants to face next is reminiscent of playing duck, duck, goose as a child. It doesn’t matter if he chooses the slowest or the fastest person in the circle, the majority are going to cheer him on as he performs his victory lap.
A few years ago, Canelo played the game like he wanted a challenge. He picked the toughest competitor available and risked the possibility of becoming unstuck.
He became undisputed at 168 lbs by beating formerly unbeaten and highly-rated opponents such as Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant. Canelo’s hall-of-fame legacy at that point was finalised. This achievement, coupled with all of the other world titles he won, etched his name alongside the great Mexican fighters that came before him.
Canelo also deserves buckets of credit for being so active. Usually, a cash cow fights once a year. Yet Canelo has fought at least twice a year since he made his debut in 2005, apart from in 2020 during the breakout period of COVID, when he competed once.
However, choosing to fight Dmitry Bivol in May 2022 for the WBA Light Heavyweight world title was like picking on a kid who was two years older at school. He’s too big and he knows more than you, hence why Canelo was beaten by Bivol in dominant fashion.
Dmitry Bivol attacks Saul “Camelo” Alvarez at the T-Mobile Arena on May 7, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
But since September 2022, the Mexican superstar has seemingly stayed away from the real challengers. The ones you’re not certain about defeating. The ones who are going to chase you until the moment you sit back down.
Gennadiy Golovkin was so past his peak in his trilogy with Canelo that the legendary Kazakh might have struggled in a game of duck, duck, goose let alone in a fight against his toughest rival.
John Ryder earned a mandatory shot at Canelo in May 2023. Yet the event was billed as a starry-eyed homecoming rather than a serious world title defence. Ryder was brave and gave his all, but Canelo wasn’t perceived to be in any danger before or during the fight.
Jermell Charlo moved up two weight divisions in what looked like a decent bout on paper. Though, the ‘smaller’ Charlo ended up showing his true colours by trying to survive for 12 rounds, rather than trying to win.
Munguia, in fairness, did come to dethrone his idyllic countryman and beat Ryder more convincingly than Canelo, which earned him a shot in the first place. But again, Munguia was always an unlikely victor.
The issue with Canelo’s game of duck, duck, goose is simply that he’s running out of mediocre opponents to choose from. David Benavidez and David Morrell, two of Canelo’s most worthy potential opponents, are not even allowed to sit in the circle. They are elsewhere in the playground, searching for ways to get an opportunity.
Other names linked with Canelo include Edgar Berlanga and Jermall Charlo. Berlanga is hungry but raw, and Charlo is talented yet extremely inactive.
Meanwhile, Chris Eubank Jr has emerged as a late frontrunner to battle Canelo. Eubank would be a sizeable underdog going into the contest. Still, from a commercial perspective, it makes sense. Whether you like him or not, Eubank is a massive name in the UK. So Canelo-Eubank could tap into more English viewership, especially with the slim chance it happens on British soil.
In a nutshell, as boxing’s biggest moneymaker, Canelo is going to end up choosing the opponent he wants for his next fight, whether fans agree with the decision or not.
The only man who might be able to have an influence is His Excellency, Turki Alalshikh. Turki has openly stated he wants to make Canelo vs. Terence Crawford. Few thought this fight would ever be possible. But if Crawford gets through Israil Madrimov on August 3 and captures a world title at 154 lbs, the fantasy bout may edge closer.
Furthermore, with astronomical purses up for grabs in Saudi Arabia, there might be enough financial incentive to entice Canelo to take bigger risks at this latter stage of his career. The four-division world champion previously stated it would take $150 to $200 million for him to fight Benavidez.
Well, Tyson Fury eventually agreed to face Oleksandr Usyk for the Undisputed Heavyweight Championship, so anything is possible now.
