Who’s next for Canelo Alvarez? Here are 3 options for his next fight

Canelo Alvarez did what was expected of him at T-Mobile Arena on Saturday night.

The 34-year-old walked into his super middleweight title bout against Edgar Berlanga as an overwhelming -2,000 favorite. He lived up to the billing, retaining his WBA, WBO and WBC titles via unanimous decision.

“I feel good. I feel happy. I did what I was supposed to do, win the fight,” Alvarez said. “I enjoyed the fight. It was a good fight for the fans.”

The fight was scored 118-109, 118-109 and 117-110 in favor of Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 knockouts). He said he would take some time to plot his next move after competing in his third fight in the past year.

“(What) I want to do is rest. I want to enjoy this victory and I want to be with my family, who I missed a lot,” Alvarez said via a translator. “I’m going to get together with my people and decide what’s next.”

Three options immediately come to mind for Alvarez’s next challenger:

Caleb Plant

Alvarez was the headliner Saturday, but Plant stole the show.

The 32-year-old, in his first fight in almost 18 months, bounced back after a slow start to record a ninth-round technical knockout of Trevor McCumby. Plant (23-2-0, 14 knockouts) became the interim WBA super middleweight champion with the victory and surpassed Berlanga in the middleweight rankings.

Plant, a Las Vegas resident, is off to a good start on his “revenge tour.” His next step could be a rematch with Alvarez, who recorded an 11th-round technical knockout against Plant when the two squared off at MGM Grand on Nov. 6, 2021.

“I’m pretty sure I’ll be elevated to WBA regular champ. Canelo’s WBA world champ. I’ll let y’all do the math on that,” Plant said. “I’m always willing to take on the biggest test.”

Dmitry Bivol

Alvarez could also choose a different opponent for a rematch. Maybe one of the only two fighters he’s ever lost to.

He reached 174 pounds to fight Bivol at T-Mobile Arena on May 7, 2022, but was defeated by unanimous decision.

Bivol (23-0-0, 12 knockouts), the top light heavyweight in the world, is scheduled to fight Artur Beterbiev (20-0-0, 20 knockouts) for the undisputed light heavyweight championship Oct. 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Alvarez said he doesn’t plan to travel to watch the fight.

“This is a 50-50 fight, a fight between two accomplished fighters,” Alvarez said via translator. “Bivol is going to have a very tough opponent in front of him. It’s going to be a good fight.”

Terence Crawford

Alvarez yelled into a microphone after Saturday’s fight that he was the “best fighter in the world.”

Terence Crawford took notice.

“Put me in the game coach!” Crawford posted on X.

It was easy to read between the lines.

Crawford (41-0-0, 31 knockouts) would be a worthwhile challenger for Alvarez. The 36-year-old last fought Aug. 3, earning a victory by unanimous decision over Israil Madrimov to claim the interim WBO super welterweight title.

Crawford moved up to 154 pounds for that fight. He’ll have to move up two more classes to meet Alvarez at 168 pounds for a super middleweight bout.

Alvarez declined to comment on Crawford’s challenge Saturday. His decision on whether to accept it may come down to timing. It could take a year for Crawford to make weight if Alvarez agrees to the fight.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.