Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is set for the 69th fight of his career this year as he looks to regain a world title at super-middleweight.
The Mexican icon was undisputed at 168lbs before losing to Terence Crawford last September. Following elbow surgery, he has booked a September return in Saudi Arabia, billed as a world title fight. No opponent has been confirmed, though new WBC champion Christian Mbilli is believed to be the frontrunner.
Belts aside, Canelo is targeting major fights to close out his career. He has suggested he will retire in two years, though fighting just once per year could extend that timeline.
Who features in that final chapter remains unclear. A rematch with Crawford was his preferred option, but with the American now retired, that is off the table. Fans have long called for a clash with David Benavidez, though that fight now appears further away than ever.
In fact, speaking to The Ring, longtime trainer Eddy Reynoso ruled it out completely.
“We’re going to stay at super middleweight for now,” said Reynoso. “The division is heating up, and we can really stay busy there for the foreseeable future.”
“That fight against Benavidez is done. There was a time when that fight could have been made at 168, and it didn’t happen, so it’s done. Benavidez is now fighting at cruiserweight. There is a better chance for Benavidez to fight Oleksandr Usyk than there is to fight Canelo.”
Benavidez was named mandatory challenger for Canelo’s WBC title in late 2023, but the fight never materialised and he moved up to light-heavyweight, where he now the WBC belt.
This weekend in Las Vegas, the 29-year-old steps up again to challenge Gilberto Ramirez for the unified WBA and WBO cruiserweight titles. He has, however, said he plans to return to 175lbs afterwards in pursuit of an undisputed clash with Dmitry Bivol.
Benavidez had suggested that holding all four belts at light-heavyweight could tempt Canelo into facing him, given the Mexican has previously competed at the weight, beating Sergey Kovalev and losing to Bivol. Based on Reynoso’s comments, it appears that his plan will not play out how he had hoped.
