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Following his unanimous decision victory over John Ryder, Canelo Alvarez remains the undisputed champion at super middleweight. But who should he take on next?
Canelo is Ring Magazine’s No. 5 pound-for-pound fighter in the sport, and he’s cleaned out the super middleweight champion division as the IBF, WBA, WBC, WBO and The Ring lineal belt holder.
Canelo has said he wants a rematch against Dimitry Bivol, who handed Alvarez an upset unanimous decision loss exactly 365 days ago in Las Vegas. But instead of at light heavyweight and 175 lbs., Bivol wants the fight at 168 where Alvarez is the undisputed champion. Canelo wants to win at the same weight he lost at last year in Las Vegas.
If for some reason those fighters can’t agree on a weight, a fight against David Benavidez might makes the most sense in terms of Alvarez’s legacy as well as his wallet. Benavidez (27-0, 23 KO’s) would make for one of the superfights of the year at 168 lbs., and it’s possible the purse could be near nine figures for the appearance.
Another possible matchup that might be a bit easier could be Christian Mbilli (24-0, 20 KO’s), as the undefeated Frenchman has a much lighter list of wins than Benavidez, but would still offer a big draw.
But after beating John Ryder (32-6, 18 KO’s) in his home country against an opponent that might not have been worthy of the matchup, Alvarez might want to step up and look for a stronger opponent to add to his legend.