Saul “Canelo” Alvarez cruised to a conclusive win on Saturday, beating the now-former WBC super middleweight world champion, Christian Mbilli, by unanimous decision in Riyadh to seal his return to boxing’s elite ranks after a 13-month layoff outside of the ring.
At age 36, more than two decades into his professional career, “Canelo” has still only been beaten by the sport’s best fighters.
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Terence Crawford, now retired, was the last to do so in 2025, following Dmitry Bivol three years earlier. Both defeated the Mexican star by decision.
But this past weekend, “Canelo” showed he has more than enough left in his fistic arsenal to outclass the world’s best, even as he nears the end of his in-ring run.
So, what’s next for boxing’s biggest star?
A fight between “Canelo” and David Benavidez remains one of the biggest bouts the sport could book. It’s always seemed unrealistic, but now is a non-starter, considering trainer Eddy Reynoso’s comments that the matchup is now dead earlier this year.
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With Benavidez now being a unified cruiserweight world champion, there is too much of a gulf in weight between the division Benavidez is set to defend his WBA and WBO unified titles in (200 pounds), and the one “Canelo” fought in over the weekend (168 pounds).
Then there are other fighters linked with “Canelo” who also appear farther from fighting him today than they ever have before — like Jake Paul.
“The Problem Child” recently announced his return to the ring for Dec. 24, fighting the former kickboxer and MMA star Cedric Doumbe at Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai.
Though Netflix would likely be interested, the prospect of “Canelo” vs. Paul remains enough of a gimmick to be at odds with where Alvarez is at right now — that is, a championship-level fighter capable of taking on unification fights, rather than carnival ones that serve as a stepping stone toward retirement.
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With that in mind, let’s break down the top names most likely to step into the ring against “Canelo” next, ranked from mere pipe dreams to surefire possibilities.
Terence Crawford remains the last man to defeat Saul “Canelo” Alvarez.
(Sarah Stier via Getty Images)
7. Terence Crawford rematch
“Canelo” might, one day, be able to lure Terence Crawford out of retirement, but it is doubtful that day is any time soon.
It’s the fight Canelo appears to covet most; he told Fight Hub backstage on Saturday “let’s hope” Crawford cuts his retirement short to engage him in a do-over, now that he has the WBC belt back in his possession. “We’d love to have that rematch,” Canelo said.
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It’s also a rematch Canelo’s longtime trainer/manager Reynoso wants for his fighter. “If Crawford returns, let’s make the rematch happen,” Reynoso said earlier this year.
“As a trainer, I can see the modifications that we need to make for the Crawford rematch and for the results to go our way,” Reynoso said.
The fight is reliant on Crawford feeling the urge to risk his flawless record for one last dance. But it would come at a time when “Canelo” can only offer one of the world titles “Bud” already previously won — and at a time when Turki Alalshikh and Saudi Arabia’s Sela are seemingly tightening the purse strings when it comes to fighter pay.
If “Canelo” won more of the belts at super middleweight, or defeated unified light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol in a rematch, or could offer a more substantial rate than what Crawford received for the first fight, then this bout would become likelier.
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Fortunately for “Canelo,” at least, he has other options. “If not [Crawford], we’ll keep moving forward with our career,” he said Saturday.
Chris Eubank Jr. has been out of action since losing the Conor Benn rematch.
(Bradley Collyer – PA Images via Getty Images)
6. Chris Eubank Jr. at London’s Wembley Stadium
One of the other options could be a longstanding one, but a fight against British super middleweight Chris Eubank Jr. ranks low on this list because of how faded Eubank looked in his 2025 rematch with Conor Benn.
Had Eubank won the Benn rivalry 2-0, he’d have carried considerable narrative momentum into any claim that only he holds the stadium keys to help “Canelo” unlock the lucrative UK gate and pay-per-view markets.
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Eubank also seems more likely to compete against a lesser fighter like Edgar Berlanga right now, rather than the sport’s ultimate marquee name, even if BOXXER promoter Ben Shalom once described a Canelo-Eubank Jr. fight as “nailed on.”
A world tour could appeal to a star like “Canelo,” with other North American names like Errol Spence Jr. getting their moments with fight fans in the United Kingdom. Spence, of course, made Kell Brook look average in an 11th-round knockout win in 2017.
If Eubank is no longer an option, “Canelo” could consider Benn at a catchweight, or even Ben Whittaker at light heavyweight. But whether any of them remain stadium fighters remains to be seen.
5. Osleys Iglesias for IBF title unification
The tricky Cuban southpaw Osleys Iglesias is desperate to test himself against “Canelo.” And, as the IBF super middleweight champion, he brings a world title to the ring for Alvarez to attempt to annex and become a unified beltholder once again.
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“I would hope that [‘Canelo’] would give me the fight and allow me to demonstrate that Cuban fighters, and more specifically that Osleys Iglesias, is a different breed,” Iglesias told Ring Magazine earlier this year.
Osleys Iglesias (R) may present the stiffest challenge to Alvarez of any of the super middleweight champions.
(Alex Grimm via Getty Images)
He is not confident of it happening, though. “Canelo would not want to fight me,” he said.
And Iglesias may be right.
Out of all the world championship unification possibilities, he would be the highest risk, considering his counterpunching rhythm and the power he has in both of his fists. The risk also contrasts his relatively limited commercial appeal.
4. Janibek Alimkhanuly vs. Jacob Bank winner for WBO title unification
Janibek Alimkhanuly and Jacob Bank are scheduled to contest the vacant WBO super middleweight world title on Jan. 23, 2027, at The Forum in Horsens, Denmark. And the winner could be a consideration for “Canelo” later next year.
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The WBO belt is currently vacant because Hamzah Sheeraz relinquished the championship rather than proceed with a mandatory defense against Janibek, who was previously the WBO’s champion at middleweight.
Alimkhanuly is a southpaw, has proven championship pedigree, and would make for a legitimate technical challenge for “Canelo.” He is also a more established name than Bank.
The WBO title makes either fighter an attractive unification opponent, but neither offers the legacy appeal, commercial upside, or promotional advantages of others on this list.
3. Dmitry Bivol rematch
“Canelo” may have won the WBO light heavyweight title after knocking Sergey Kovalev out in the 11th round of his debut at 175 pounds in 2019, but his return to the weight class three years later was not as successful, losing by decision to Dmitry Bivol.
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The Kyrgyzstani-Russian boxer nullified “Canelo” with his feints and the use of his triple jab, which he fired repeatedly throughout their Las Vegas encounter.
It was Bivol’s most significant win of his career up to that point, though he went on to outpoint Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez that same year, before scoring a majority decision win over Artur Beterbiev in their 2025 rematch.
Bivol has intimated that he’d happily fight “Canelo” again, suggesting he’d even do so at 168 pounds. This would ensure there were “no excuses” if he beat Alvarez again, he said, this time in the legend’s preferred division.
“Canelo,” though, has stubbornly said he wants to rematch Bivol in the same light heavyweight division to try and right the record.
Dmitry Bivol (R) conquered Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in 2022.
(Melina Pizano via Getty Images)
2. Lester Martinez in Mexico for WBC consolidation
Bivol doesn’t rank higher on this list because it’s unlikely, judging from Team Canelo’s own comments, that they’ll return to 175 pounds so soon.
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“We’re going to stay at super middleweight for now,” Reynoso told Ring Magazine in April. “The division is heating up, and we can really stay busy there for the foreseeable future.”
If Alvarez was to remain at 168 pounds, for now, one of the clearest candidates for a fight would be Lester Martinez, the WBC’s interim champion, who was ringside on Saturday to watch the regular WBC championship change hands.
A fight with Martinez doesn’t only clear up the WBC championship situation, it could also be the bout that leads “Canelo” back to Mexico. He last fought in his own country in 2023, when he beat John Ryder in front of 50,000 people at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara.
“Canelo” vs. Martinez could draw a similar if not bigger crowd if Alvarez pursues his dream of fighting at the legendary Estadio Azteca in Mexico City — a venue with an 80,000 seating capacity, which once held 132,000 fans for a Julio Cesar Chavez fight in 1993.
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1. Hamzah Sheeraz in Riyadh
With one fight remaining on “Canelo’s” agreement with Saudi Arabia, there may be no better opponent than Hamzah Sheeraz, considering Turki Alalshikh’s allegiance to both fighters.
A Riyadh Season ambassador, Sheeraz has fought on three Saudi-backed cards — his 11th-round knockout win over Austin Williams in 2024, his split draw with Carlos Adames the following year, and his majority decision win over Simon Zachenhuber this past July.
His best performance to date is undoubtedly his fifth-round knockout win over Berlanga last year — a result that led Alalshikh to proclaim: “Hamzah now deserves ‘Canelo’ in 2026.”
With “Canelo’s” Saudi Arabia agreement nearing its conclusion, and Alalshikh already endorsing the matchup, Sheeraz may be the most logical opponent to fight him next.
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