By James Hicken

Copyright independent

Canelo Alvarez had his undisputed super middleweight titles taken away from him by Terence Crawford in the early hours of Sunday morning in an era-defining fight.

He was comfortably outpointed by Crawford via unanimous decision, and as some predicted, looked as though 20 years in the professional game had finally caught up with him.

But what remains true is that Canelo is one of the biggest stars in the sport today and is not planning on retiring just yet.

The former four-weight world champion still has two fights left on his contract with Riyadh Season, worth a reported $400 million.

Saudi boxing boss, Turki Alalshikh, posted to social media on Monday night to confirm Canelo will return twice in 2026 to see out his contract.

What options lie open for Canelo in what might be the twilight of his career?

Chris Eubank Jr shot his name back into superstardom after claiming victory over Conor Benn in a 12-round war earlier this year and has since been very vocal about wanting to fight Canelo once he finishes up his rivalry with Benn.

He is currently contracted for a rematch that will take place on November 15, but this will have no impact on a potential fight happening, as Alvarez will not look to return until likely the spring of next year.

This is also not a one-way street in terms of interest, as Canelo, affectionately monikered as the ‘Brit Basher’, has acknowledged a fight with Eubank Jr and has also promised he will fight in the UK before he retires.

Canelo told The Ring ahead of his fight with William Scull: “I have beaten eight Brits so far? Well, it’s going to be nine then.

“I want to fight in the UK and I promise I will do it. I don’t know exactly where yet but I am going to do it.

“Would people like to see me against Chris Eubank Jr? Maybe that’s the fight. That’s a fight I’d consider but we don’t know what is going to happen.”

If Canelo still has world title ambitions alongside hoping to fight in the UK, then a fight against Hamzah Sheeraz could tick both of those boxes.

Should Crawford decide to move to 160lbs as he hinted at after his victory this past weekend, then the titles would once again become available, and Sheeraz is the top-ranked contender with the WBO and WBC, as well as having a ranking in the top six with the IBF and WBA.

Therefore, if the titles became freed up, Sheeraz would be near the front of the queue for a vacant title, which could be a perfect return or final fight on Canelo’s contract.

Sheeraz is also one of the select few who have the favour of the chief matchmaker, Turki Alalshikh, and has been promised the Canelo showdown for some time.

Before the Crawford fight, Sheeraz told The Ring that he believed that if Canelo won, a fight with him would be made next.

Sheeraz has come out since Canelo was defeated and said he is still keen on that fight.

Sheeraz told The Ring: “I could still fight Canelo. I don’t know if he would fight as soon as February, though. Not that it’s that soon, but I think coming off a loss, it might be too soon.​”

It is perhaps a little early to try and speak on a rematch between two of the greatest fighters of their generation, and due to the nature of Crawford’s unanimous decision, a rematch might not be what the fans want to see.

But as with most fights of this magnitude, the incumbent champion will likely have a rematch clause in the contract to protect against controversial defeats or if they think they can improve with another opportunity.

It is up to Canelo whether or not he chooses to activate this rematch clause if it exists. After the fight, Canelo did not seem as though he wanted to set up an immediate rematch and was instead more grateful for having shared the ring with a great in Crawford.

Canelo said post-fight: “Like I said to him [Crawford], I feel great to share the ring with great fighters like him.

“If we do it again, it’s going to be great. But you know what? I’m glad to share the ring with great fighters – I’m glad to be here.”

A rematch could be an enticing proposition for Crawford as he and his coach feel that they have Canelo’s number, and a second fight would only further Crawford’s legacy.

Or Crawford has spoken about fighting at 160lbs and his mission to become a four-weight undisputed champion.

Dmitry Bivol is currently recovering from back surgery and will not return to the ring until 2026 after being given a medical exemption from fulfilling his duties as champion by the IBF.

It is also expected that his return fight will either be against his mandatory challenger, Michael Eifert, or the highly-anticipated trilogy fight with Artur Beterbiev to finally close out their rivalry.

Canelo has pursued a rematch with Bivol and said that it would be the only fight he would take at 175lbs after two forays up there with a 1-1 record.

But Bivol, with a win under his belt against Canelo back in 2022, made it clear that he would not defend his titles against Canelo again; instead, he suggested he cut down to 168lbs and have the rematch in Canelo’s division.

This was, unfortunately for Canelo, predicated on him having the undisputed titles. Now empty-handed, it seems as though he would need to get a world title before pursuing a rematch.

This could work, however, if Canelo can win a world title in his return fight, with a super-fight rematch with Bivol for 168lb glory being a fine way to see out his Riyadh Season contract.

While Terence Crawford figures out what he wants to do with his new collection of hardware, Canelo could be proactive and, upon his return in 2026, take on one of the active interim super middleweight champions, which would put him in a great position if Crawford decides he is better suited to the middleweight division and vacates his titles.

It would mean that his interim world title would be elevated and put him back on top of the division he has ruled for so many years.

The current WBA interim champion is Armando Resendiz, who pulled off one of the upsets of the year to beat former champion Caleb Plant on points and make a big statement in the division.

This is a sellable fight for Canelo. If he decided to once again fight on Cinco de Mayo or Mexican Independence Day, it could be billed as a domestic dust-up between the next generation and a Mexican great.

He could otherwise fight the WBC interim champion Christian Mbilli. However, Mbilli is a much more staunch challenge with a 29-0 (24) record compared to Resendiz, who has less experience and two defeats in 16 fights

Mbilli is also a tougher fight to sell, compared to an all-Mexican fight between two men with a common opponent.

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