Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez defends his unified super-middleweight world titles against Puerto Rico’s Edgar Berlanga this weekend in Las Vegas.
The Mexican was under pressure from fans to face the man most feel is his toughest test at 168 pounds, David Benavidez, as well as a wildcard opponent in Terence Crawford, who recently made a debut one division down to become a four-weight world champion.
He instead opted for number one contender Berlanga, who will step through the ropes undefeated but a sizeable underdog. If Canelo wins, both Benavidez and Crawford will still be waiting for their shots, and it’s even believed the latter may retire if he doesn’t land it.
However, according to ESPN’s Mike Coppinger, the elite Mexican has his sights set on another target – Dmitry Bivol.
In 2022 Bivol became just the second man after Floyd Mayweather to defeat Alvarez. He was defending his WBA Light-Heavyweight World Title and kept it via unanimous decision.
At the time talks for a rematch fell apart when Bivol expressed an interest in moving down to challenge for Canelo’s super-middleweight belts while the Mexican only wanted a repeat at light-heavy.
Next month, Bivol enters the fight of his life against the division’s other champion, wrecking machine Artur Beterbiev. The winner will be the first undisputed light-heavyweight ruler since Roy Jones Jr.
Canelo – who typically fights in May and September – told Coppinger that’s the fight he wants next.
“When I spoke to Canelo yesterday he said he wants Dmitry Bivol next [in May] provided Bivol does beat Artur Beterbiev on October 12th for the undisputed light-heavyweight championship. And what’s nice about that fight, if it does happen, is it’s a real departure from Canelo’s last three or four fights – that’s a fight where Canelo’s going to be a decided underdog … That’s a real legacy-defining fight.”
A lot must happen before those plans can be firmed up and then it remains to be seen whether or not the negotiations run into the same problems. Intriguingly, the WBC mandatory challenger for the winner of Beterbiev-Bivol is Benavidez, who could potentially face not only missing out on the Canelo fight, but also having his latest plan snatched away by that very man.
First up is Berlanga on Saturday in Sin City, who looks to upset Canelo’s plans.
