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. That sealed his return to boxing’s elite ranks after a 13-month layoff. Think about that for a second: At 36 years old, after more than two decades in the pros, Canelo has only ever been beaten by the sport’s absolute best.
The Dream Fights Are Dead
But even with Canelo back on top, don’t go holding your breath for some of the fights we’ve all been buzzing about. The clash with David Benavidez? Forget about it. Trainer Eddy Reynoso himself said earlier this year that matchup is now dead, a complete non-starter. Why? Well, Benavidez is a unified cruiserweight world champion now, fighting at 200 pounds, while Canelo was just at 168. That’s a huge gulf in weight, folks!
And then there’s Jake Paul. Yeah, “The Problem Child” is returning to the ring on December 24th against Cedric Doumbe in Dubai. Netflix might be interested in a Canelo-Paul showdown, sure, but let’s be real: that’s a gimmick. Canelo is a championship-level fighter, ready for unification fights. He’s not doing carnival bouts that are basically a stepping stone to retirement. No chance.
Canelo Wants Bud Back, But There’s a Catch
So, who’s left? Well, the one fight Canelo appears to covet most is a rematch with Terence Crawford, the last guy to beat him back in 2025 before “Bud” retired. Canelo even told Fight Hub backstage on Saturday, “let’s hope” Crawford cuts his retirement short so they can run it back now that Canelo has that WBC belt again. His longtime trainer and manager, Reynoso, is absolutely on board too. “If Crawford returns, let’s make the rematch happen,” Reynoso said earlier this year, adding, “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.”
But here’s the kicker: this whole thing hinges on Crawford feeling the urge to risk his flawless record for one last dance. And it would be for only one of the world titles “Bud” already previously won. Plus, Turki Alalshikh and Saudi Arabia’s Sela are reportedly tightening the purse strings when it comes to fighter pay. That’s a huge hurdle for a fight of this magnitude.
So yeah, Canelo proved he’s still got the fistic arsenal to outclass the world’s best, even nearing the end of his run. But finding that next opponent? With Benavidez a no-go and Crawford’s return complicated by finances, the boxing world is watching to see who steps up. Canelo wants those unification fights, not the easy wins. We’ll be waiting to see who is truly worthy of stepping into the ring next against a legend still at the top of his game.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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