Canelo is just months away from his mega-fight with Terence Crawford, but one Mexican powerhouse could face him next if he gets past his dangerous opponent tomorrow.
In his last fight, Canelo took a drab win over William Scull to become undisputed at super-middleweight for the second time.
Scull was one of two rumored opponents before the fight was announced, with another being Christian Mbilli.
Now, after a few fights have changed the landscape at super-middleweight, there is seemingly four major options for Canelo‘s next fight after Terence Crawford.
Turki Alalshikh promised Chris Eubank Jr. the opportunity after his win over Conor Benn, and Hamzah Sheeraz was told he’d get a shot after his win over Edgar Berlanga.
But there is one other potential opponent.
Diego Pacheco could earn his shot at Canelo on Saturday night
Whilst Eubank Jr. may have squandered his shot at the mega-star after seemingly abandoning his contracted rematch with Benn, Alalshikh is left with three real options – Mbilli, Sheeraz, and Pacheco.
Diego Pacheco is now 23-0 with 18 knockout victories, and is coming off a unanimous decision win over Crawford’s stablemate, Steven Nelson.
Pacheco is set to face 28-1 Trevor McCumby on 2025’s biggest night of boxing, July 19th.
McCumby is a highly accomplished amateur with 138 wins and just 11 losses, and as a pro is 28-1 after his last fight, in which he lost to Caleb Plant after dropping and hurting Plant in the early rounds.
Eddie Hearn said of Pacheco’s fight, “If he wins this, he’s gonna be mandatory to Canelo Alvarez, which is obviously the dream. […] You keep mentioning these names, why would you mention Christian Mbilli? […] People should be calling the name of Diego Pacheco.”
Mbilli, meanwhile, is coming off a win over Maciej Sulecki, whom Pacheco already beat two fights ago. Mbilli is rumored to face Lester Martinez, one of Crawford’s sparring partners for the Canelo fight, on the undercard of Canelo vs Crawford.
It remains to be seen which of the three frontrunners will get their shot at the crown first, provided Canelo defeats Crawford in September.
Diego Pacheco scored a stunning knockout over ‘Meat Cleaver’
In 2023, Pacheco scored a dominant knockout victory that put him on the map for many fans.
Pacheco fought in Liverpool, England, against Jack Cullen, also known as ‘Little Lever’s Meat Cleaver’ owing to the town he’s from, Little Lever.
Cullen was 21-3 at the time, and Pacheco produced a brutal performance, knocking the Brit out in the fourth round.
Cullen has since turned to bare-knuckle fighting and eyes success in the sport.