Canelo Alvarez is likely to have no shortage of options if he emerges victorious against Christian Mbilli on September 12.
The pair will collide for Mbilli’s WBC world super-middleweight title in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with Canelo entering his first outing since losing to Terence Crawford.
It came as an iconic moment when, last September, Crawford moved up two weight divisions and dethroned the Mexican with a unanimous decision victory.
Canelo is therefore determined to reclaim one of his titles against Mbilli, who was upgraded from ‘interim’ to full WBC champion following Crawford’s retirement.
Even at the age of 35, Alvarez is still one of the biggest names in boxing, but must dethrone Mbilli in order to keep his career alive.
If he proves successful, then the former undisputed champion should have plenty of potential opponents, including WBO super-middleweight champion Hamzah Sheeraz.
A less likely option, meanwhile, is Aaron McKenna, who has nonetheless expressed his desire to face Canelo after his next fight.
Having signed with Dana White’s promotional outfit, the 26-year-old will make his Zuffa Boxing debut against Etinosa Oliha at Dublin’s 3Arena on August 8.
But while focusing on his shot at the vacant IBF middleweight title, McKenna has told Sky Sports that he would gladly move up to 168lbs and face Alvarez.
“On August 8, becoming world champion will open a lot of doors for me.
“[Canelo] is one of the biggest names in boxing right now – he’s fighting Mbilli. That’s for the 168lb title. You never know.
“[If] I win the IBF title, [I could] try and unify. But I’m definitely open to fighting for titles at 168 as well. I’m taking the best opportunity that’s going to grow my career.”
Before anything else, McKenna must defeat fellow unbeaten contender Oliha, who represents the Irishman’s first opponent since his unanimous decision victory over Liam Smith in April 2025.
