By: Sean Crose
Canelo Alvarez had some good news for Mexican fans on Tuesday. During an interview with Azteca, the undisputed super middleweight champion of the world indicated that he would continue his agreement with the network, meaning there will be no pay per view fees in Mexico for fans who want to watch his fights. In even bigger news, the red haired star indicated that he’s returning to the ring on May 4th. Furthermore, Canelo made it clear he’s going to be facing an American opponent. So much for that battle against Jaime Munguia fans and analysts have been talking about.
There are, of course, a plethora of names Canelo can face in a few months. The most eye catching, however, are super middleweight powerhouse David Benavidez, middleweight titlist Jermall Charlo and welterweight conqueror Terence Crawford, Americans all. A fight with the undefeated and dangerous Benavidez may make the least business sense while the possibility of a throwdown with the far smaller Crawford might prove to be a bit of a stretch of the imagination. That may leave Charlo, whose twin brother Jermell was handily beaten by Canelo last year, the likely choice. It’s also worth noting that both Canelo and Charlo have fought under the Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) banner.
Should Charlo be Canelo’s chosen opponent in May, however, there will likely be cries of his ducking Benavidez – or even Crawford. Not that the 60-2-2 Canelo needs to particularly care. The man has fought a whose who of potent opposition throughout the course of his 64 fight career. Floyd Mayweather, Gennady Golovkin, Miguel Cotto, Shawn Porter, the guaranteed Hall of Famer literally has one of the best resumes in boxing history. Still, fans want to see the best fight the best, and there’s not doubt a considerable percentage of fans find Benavidez to be the best opponent out there for Canelo.
With that being said, Canelo may still end up facing two of his three most likely opponents before the year 2024 is out. The man usually fights twice a year, after all, in bouts that are generally considered major events. One could easily imagine a fight with Charlo – where Canelo would be the considerable favorite walking in – going down in May while a battle with the formidable Benavidez would be lined up for for September. No matter how the schedule eventually shapes out, one thing is certain – it’s still Canelo’s world that the sport of boxing is living in.
