Canelo Alvarez’s five fight shortlist for next outing includes ‘longshot’ Jermall Charlo
Canelo Alvarez is exploring his options ahead of his return to the ring.
The Guadalajara puncher is set to launch a comeback on September 14 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to mark Mexican Independence Day weekend.
Canelo skipped his usual Cinco De Mayo slot having undergone surgery on his elbow following his lopsided unanimous decision defeat to Terence Crawford last September.
Canelo dropped his undisputed super middleweight titles in the process, but those belts have since fragmented after Crawford’s retirement.
While Canelo’s opponent has yet to be finalised, he has set his sights on an immediate world title shot at 168lbs.
Canelo Alvarez setting sights on world titles
“Right now, [the opponent is] what we’re looking at, analysing,” Canelo told Box Azteca earlier this month.
“[I met with] Richard [Schaefer] with Turki [Alalshikh] last week in London, so we’ll see.
“There’s a range of rivals there, let’s see who’s the best, but always, choosing the best, and above all, that he’s a champion.
“Honestly, I feel very good. I’ve been training, and I feel extremely good and happy because sometimes that’s what you need.”
WBC champion Christian Mbilli is the frontrunner, although all four world titles are up for consideration at this stage, with Canelo ranked at No.1 by the WBA, WBC and WBO as well as No.3 by the IBF.
An official connected with negotiations recently told BoxingScene: “He [Mbilli] is in the mix.
“Whoever [the September opponent] is will have the best payday they’ve ever had.”
Who are the other world champions?
WBA champ Jose Armando Resendiz was elevated from interim to full world champion in January, and defends the black and gold strap against Jaime Munguia in May.
Cuba’s Osleys Iglesias recently retired Pavel Silyagin on his stool to claim the IBF’s version of the super middleweight world title.
The WBO belt is currently the only vacant strap, although the situation will be resolved when Hamzah Sheeraz boxes Alem Begic on the Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven undercard on May 23.
Outside of 168lbs world title fights, the source also revealed that former super welterweight and middleweight champion Jermall Charlo is a ‘longshot’ candidate.
Charlo was stripped of the WBC middleweight title in 2024 following a DWI arrest.
He spent just under two years experiencing issues with his mental health on the sidelines before returning to action in May 2025 to stop Thomas Lamanna in his super middleweight debut.
Boxing schedule
For all the upcoming fights and results this year, check out talkSPORT.com’s boxing schedule.
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