The Only Man who could actually defeat Canelo Alvarez.
Canelo Alvarez seems to have a plan.
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The Mexican star, who won his victory over Callum Smith on Saturday to win two 168-pound titles on Saturday, is likely to defend his WBC title against mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim in February, and then face Caleb Plant or Billy Joe Saunders in a unification battle in May.
It all makes sense. He must defend himself against Yildirim or risk losing his belt. And every fighter wants to unify titles, which is a sign of dominance. The problem is that none of these three fighters have a much better chance of defeating Alvarez than Smith, which is not ideal.
This is not a blow to Plants or Saunders, who are good fighters and legitimate opponents of Alvarez. They are simply not the best possible enemies for the fighter, which many believe is the number 1 pound per pound in the world. Yildirim? Forget it.
Who are the best possible opponents? Here are five that could pose a tougher challenge for the Mexican star than Smith and could potentially knock him out in order to win.
ARTUR BETERBIEV
Record: 15-0 (15 KOs)
Weight class: light heavyweight
Alvarez speaks boldly about taking risks and has done so in the past. Okay, Saul, here's a good one. First, Alvarez cannot and would not say: “Well, I am a super middleweight and he is a light heavyweight,” he has already faced a good weight of 175 pounds, Sergey Kovalev.
Therefore, it is completely legitimate to suggest that you advance a weight class for the right challenge, even if that is not your immediate plan. Beterbiev, who has two 175-pound titles, could be Alvarez's worst nightmare. The 35-year-old Russian is a former Olympian with solid foundations and immense strength, as suggested by 15 knockouts in 15 professional fights.
Alvarez, who has been improving his skills since becoming a professional at the age of 15, is probably a better boxer than Beterbiev and has much more experience at the elite level. However, Beterbiev is a better boxer than Smith and ten times stronger. Alvarez wouldn't be able to go through Beterbiev's blows like he did against Smith. And it would be harder for him to hurt Beterbiev, who is used to taking hits from larger opponents. One more thing: Alvarez fought Kovalev to some extent before taking him out on lap 11. Kovalev is an underrated and elegant boxer. However, Alvarez showed some weak points in this fight. Beterbiev's chances of defeating Alvarez: 7.
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