5. David Lemieux
The Canadian may have already lost to Gennady Golovkin but he’s a powerful, solid middleweight, with real punch power and a style that lends itself to exciting fights. Plus this would give Canelo Alvarez the chance to go up to 160lbs, from the catchweight he’s been operating at, and acclimatize properly to middleweight.
4. Miguel Cotto
They only just fought at the end of last year, but it was a quality contest. While Cotto of course was competitive, Alvarez won it on points.
The Puerto Rican will have a better understanding of Canelo now and another 12 rounds with this veteran would again help Alvarez develop further.
Both have explosive power to go with their ring smarts, so a rematch will always hold some appeal.
3. Floyd Mayweather
He’s already beaten Alvarez of course. But now Canelo has improved, grown physically and enhanced his stature in the sport.
He’s also a middleweight champion, perhaps an appealing accolade to Mayweather when it comes to confirming his legacy.
Floyd has been on manoeuvres and has strongly hinted that he’s contemplating ending his retirement.
2. Billy Joe Saunders
Billy Joe Saunders holds one of the major middleweight world titles, this would be the first unification clash for both men. Saunders is a southpaw, a smooth boxer, tricky to pin down and someone who would pose a different sort challenge to Alvarez than the likes of Lemieux.
1. Gennady Golovkin
It is the big fight, one the biggest fights out there that can be made in the sport. The WBC have mandated that Golovkin should be next.
There are hurdles that need to be crossed, the weight for instance, Canelo ought to come up to the middleweight limit.
But Alvarez has insisted he has no fear of Golovkin. (Whether his promoter can quite say the same is unclear.)
