Canelo has his pick of two unbeaten foes to fight next
Undisputed super-middleweight king Saul Canelo Alvarez (61-2-2, 39KO) has whittled his list of opponents down to two names, as his annual fight date in September draws near.
Canelo traditionally fights on Cinco de Mayo in early May and again in September every year. The four-weight world champion defeated unbeaten challenger Jaime Munguia on May 4 this year and now looks ahead to fighting again in September.
Every boxer in and around the middleweight divisions wants to land the golden ticket to fight the Mexican superstar to not only potentially secure the biggest scalp of their career, like Dmitry Bivol managed in May 2022, but also for the lucrative payday that will secure their family’s wealth for generations to come.
Currently, Saul’s shortlist has been whittled down to unbeaten Puerto Rican sensation Edgar Berlanga (22-0, 17KO) and Texan twin Jermall Charlo 33-0, 22KO) as the Mexican’s leading choices to face on September 14, 21 or 28.
27-year-old New Yorker, Berlanga, stopped unbeaten Irishman Padraig McCrory in February to secure his 17th career knockout but first since December 2020.
‘The Chosen One’ enjoyed a meteoric rise in the pro ranks after securing 16 successive first round KOs between 2016-2020.
Then followed five straight points wins as the competition increased, but he was able to claim his first KO in three and a half years against ‘The Hammer’, who was 18-0 before falling to Berlanga.
Jermall Charlo hasn’t fought yet in 2024, his last fight came in November 2023 when he dominated Jose Benavidez widely over 10-rounds in Las Vegas.
Charlo formerly held the WBC World middleweight title, which is now in the possession of Carlos Adames. The Houston ‘Hit Man’, 34, relinquished his green and gold belt after a period of inactivity due to mental health issues, which saw him absent from the ring for over two years between June 2021 and his last fight in November 2023.
Canelo defeated his twin brother, Jermell, in September 2023, so if he is able to secure the fight then Jermall will have the opportunity to avenge his sibling on the anniversary of his only loss.
There’s also two fast-rising stars in Christian Mbilli (27-0, 23KO) and IBO World super-middleweight champion Osleys Iglesias (11-0, 10KO) calling for the Canelo fight, but despite positioning themselves for a shot at the king, the boxing public demand the biggest names and they would unlikely be well received as of right now.
The fight everyone wishes to see is Canelo vs David Benavidez (29-0, 24KO) but the undefeated ‘Monster’ has moved up light-heavyweight, after refusing to wait around any longer.
With September less than two months away, fans are expecting an announcement imminently.