Let's take a look at the top three options for Canelo's targeted November return. As for Top Rank, I’m told to expect the returns of Terence Crawford (Oct. 23), former 140-pound champion Jose Ramirez (a November date against Jose Pedraza is being discussed) and Vasiliy Lomachenko. The Alvarez team attempted to pivot from Plant to Bivol to save the September date. Sept. 18, the presumed date for the fight, is less than two months away. But the 23-year-old Ortiz shouldn't be too upset if he doesn't get Crawford within the next six months. If Plant can get a fight against Benavidez or Charlo next year, there will be a lot of fan interest in those fights. You can make a strong argument that Canelo hasn’t fought a good opponent since 2o18 when he beat Golovkin by a controversial decision. Remaining friendly with DAZN could also be prosperous for Alvarez given its relationship with unbeaten WBO super middleweight titleholder Billy Joe Saunders, former middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs (whom Alvarez edged by close decision in their 2019 unification bout) and multi-fight rival Gennadiy Golovkin. We don’t know if the inactivity will have any effect on Golovkin but I expect the power of “GGG” to come through and get the win.
The addition of a few extra months also gives time for both sides to calmly work through anything that was likely presented as "take it or leave it" in the late push to try to get Canelo a fight on a weekend that is traditionally a big one for Mexican stars. So, what is next for the Mexican superstar? Canelo Alvarez has admitted a four-fight year is on his agenda with the Mexican set to meet Billy Joe Saunders to unify at super-middleweight in May. Mikaela Mayer defended her WBO junior lightweight title twice, including a victory over Maiva Hamadouche to take the IBF junior lightweight title in a clash that may well have been the women's fight of the year. What Serrano has done has started to take women's boxing into more of the mainstream, thanks in large part to her partnership with YouTube sensation-turned-boxer Jake Paul. Also, in Canelo's pursuit of historic moments, moving up in weight and beating a young, undefeated light heavyweight carries a bit more meaning than his last trip to the weight to beat a past-his-prime Kovalev. The Destroyer' has fought just once since losing his heavyweight titles to Anthony Joshua in their 2019 rematch.
Usyk took a decision over the champion in London and threw a wrench into any plans for a heavyweight unification bout after Joshua invoked his automatic rematch clause. Towards the end of negotiations, they asked for a rematch when they lose. “Yeah, but that’s not enough,” said Mora when asked if Canelo has done more in his career than Chavez. Beterbiev has even made it clear that a bout with Canelo is all that could push him off of his plans to chase unifications. Canelo had a clear plan for what the coming years looked like for his career and Plant was always the next man up. While other fighters also had really good years -- more on that below -- Serrano's big performances also reached a wide audience. Still, while Davis should be respected, Benavidez is considered an overwhelming favorite. The win against Gutierrez was particularly convincing, as Serrano looked like she'd barely been touched while Gutierrez's face was swollen and beat up. A fight with Plant still feels like the obvious route for Canelo. Like Saunders, Plant was known for his defense and movement, and he was also a top-3 super middleweight.
Plant‘s last fight was against Caleb Truax for his IBF title defense. Then, in November, Alvarez realized a career-long goal of becoming an undisputed champion with an 11th-round TKO of Caleb Plant. The way Canelo can bring in the subscribers is by fighting Golovkin, Jermall Charlo, Sergiy Derevyanchenko, Dmitry Bivol, Caleb Plant, and Artur Beterbiev. Can Joshua regain confidence in his chin against the sport's most ferocious puncher? Alvarez, the sport's biggest star, competed three times in 2021. He kicked off his campaign with a stay-busy win over a hapless Avni Yildirim in February. The pair of wins over previously undefeated opposition makes Alvarez the unquestioned 2021 men's fighter of the year. All the vitriol surrounding the proceedings created legitimate bad blood between this pair of big men, and they more than delivered on the disdain with the manner in which they competed. The seven-division world champion had another standout year, winning all three of her fights convincingly, knocking out Daniela Romina Bermudez by KO in March and winning unanimous decisions over Yamileth Mercado in August and Miriam Gutierrez in December. She also won, as has been her M.O., in two weight classes -- Bermudez and Mercado at featherweight and Gutierrez at lightweight.