Despite having his hands more than full with Terence Crawford next month, Canelo Alvarez seems to already have his return fight lined up afterwards.
Putting his undisputed super middleweight title on the line next month in Las Vegas, Canelo Alvarez will take on the unbeaten former welterweight pacesetter Terence Crawford in a matchup for the ages.
And while pundits and fellow fighters are split on who will prevail between Canelo and Crawford, the Jalisco striker’s future in the sport is also uncertain.
Potentially approaching his career swan song, Canelo — who served as an “idol” to a certain emerging star — has been lined up as an opponent next.
Canelo Alvarez called out for showdown by Hamzah Sheeraz
Landing the undisputed super middleweight title for the second time back in May, Canelo would take home a one-sided yet forgettable decision win over William Scull.
And prior to that, the Mexican was paired with emerging New York star Edgar Berlanga — once more taking home a decision win in a less-than-emphatic performance.
But emerging star Hamzah Sheeraz went one better — stopping Berlanga with a hellacious sixth-round knockout in their clash last month.
Hoping to secure a fight with Canelo off the back of that win, Sheeraz has made no bones about his idolization of the champion.
“That win (over Berlanga) has definitely put me as the front runner for the Canelo fight,” Sheeraz told The National.
“And I think it’s a very realistic and possible fight that could be next for me in my career. It’s what dreams are made of.
“You always hear the term ‘idols become rivals,’ and this is exactly that. I’ve always watched him since I was young and growing up.
“Now I have the opportunity, or will have the opportunity to actually fight him,” Sheeraz explained.
But another potential opponent awaits Canelo, too.
Diego Pachecho backed to challenge Canelo Alvarez
An emerging force at the super middleweight limit, the undefeated Diego Pacheco has rubber-stamped his intentions to fight his compatriot next.
Boasting an impressive 24-0 undefeated record, the 24-year-old Pacheco turned in an important win against Trevor McCrumby as recently as last month.
Retaining his WBC-USNBC crown as well as the WBO international super middleweight crown with the win, Pacheco has been backed as a viable challenger to Canelo should he defeat Crawford in ‘Sin City’.