Copyright GIVEMESPORT
Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez didn't just taste defeat during a one-sided loss to the generational talent Terence Crawford when the pound-for-pound boxing rivals collided in a headline fight on Netflix for the Mexican's undisputed championship belts in the super middleweight division, as he also lost something far greater, and that's the grip he had on the sport as its face. For years, if not an entire decade, Canelo had reshaped boxing in his image, fighting mostly on Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day weekends, which are two fixtures that are critical to the mainstream health of the sport. In the post-Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao era, Canelo generated big business through big wins over Gennadiy Golovkin (2018), Sergiy Kovalev (2019), Callum Smith (2020), Caleb Plant (2021), and Billy Joe Saunders (2021). Though he slipped from the highest echelons of the sport with a lopsided decision loss to Dmitry Bivol in 2022, he still had enough left in the tank to defeat Golovkin for a third time, as well as Jermell Charlo and Jaime Munguia. But his aura as the best super middleweight on the planet took an almighty whack when he seemed clueless and one-dimension in defeat to Crawford. Now, there are more exciting fighters coming up in the world rankings, which compromises one of the constants in his career — headlining the Cinco de Mayo shows. There may be only two people in the entire sport who can help him cling onto that date for one more run, however, the damage may already have been done. Canelo Loses Grip on Cinco de Mayo Main Events Canelo's status as the face of boxing has never looked more vulnerable. And sharks in the water can sense it. Golden Boy Promotions have long positioned fast-rising star Vergil Ortiz as the face of its roster. And, after the super welterweight's controlled demolition of Erickson Lubin inside two rounds on the 8th of November, it's perhaps clear Ortiz could go one further and become a face for the entire sport. There was even a cinematic moment after the win, when a long-running rival of Ortiz's, Jaron 'Boots' Ennis, entered the ring and the 154-pounders engaged in a dramatic face-off. The build-up, and their rivalry, has been a DAZN staple for years, and now the pay-off may be nearing. Ortiz's manager, Rick Mirigian, even said after the fight that its time his fighter took the Cinco de Mayo mantle. "The Vergil Ortiz era started tonight, and I've been saying it for a few days. Oscar [de la Hoya], Eric [Gomez] and Golden Boy have picked the right opponents at the right time and given him the looks along the way, because they are the No.1 promotional company out there. They know how to build fighters and prepare them not to be champions but to last as champions. That's why this is the Vergil Ortiz era." Mirigian then had a message for de la Hoya directly. "You should take over Cinco de Mayo [and] Mexican Independence Day [from Canelo]. It's time." De la Hoya would likely need no second invitation to do such a thing as it not only elevates a diamond from his stable of boxers in Ortiz, it also takes away from Canelo, whom he has despised ever since the fighter left his company. There has been no love lost between de la Hoya and Canelo since then, with bad blood spilling over during the promotion of Canelo and Jaime Munguia's fight in 2024. As much as Canelo has done for the sport, boxing remains a "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately" industry, and, in recent memory, a battle between Ortiz and Ennis is of far greater significance to the business than where Canelo can go from the beatdown Crawford gave him. 2 Fighters to Prevent Canelo From Experiencing Further Humiliation Canelo could spare himself the suffering public humiliation of losing the Cinco de Mayo date in 2026 to de la Hoya's boxer in Ortiz by booking himself a fight with one or two rivals whom he's yet to face. A fight against Jake Paul was once laughed off, but the former influencer is himself in desperate need of legitimization after he canceled an exhibition involving Gervonta 'Tank' Davis which was tentatively booked for this weekend at the Kaseya Center in Miami. Paul has since tried to lure other fighters to replace Tank for an event that has been pushed into December, but it's been a struggle to get these guys into the ring, as the sport's most prominent fighters now appear set to compete in actual boxing, rather than a payday against Paul that may or may not represent a career-best purse considering the Tank show suffered from questionable ticket sales. A Canelo vs Jake Paul fight could be win-win for both parties involved. For Alvarez, it provides an opponent who is easily beatable because even in this faded version of Canelo, he should still have enough left in his arsenal to finish Paul with a signature shot to the body. And for Paul, it provides a clear and marketable opponent to compete against atop a bill broadcast on Netflix. But Paul isn't the only fighter Canelo could box. Providing he beats Conor Benn in their rematch on Saturday then Chris Eubank Jr could provide Canelo with a meaningful match to take as he attempts to bounceback from the loss to Crawford. Eubank has long been linked with a Canelo fight and his stock this year has never been higher as he's already out-pointed Benn with relative ease in a brutal battle that headlined the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England. Eubank has even said already that he'd "absolutely" want to fight Canelo next, and it would be the Brit's third successive stadium headliner. By taking the fight, Canelo could compete in the UK in front of approximately 80,000 to 90,000 fans live at the gate, and — significantly — away from the scrutiny of losing his Cinco de Mayo spot in Las Vegas to Ortiz. "Canelo is a fighter I've been wanting to face for a number of years." Canelo once ruled boxing’s biggest nights by sheer force of will. But the sport has now moved on and, unless he finds the right fight soon, fans may attend a Cinco de Mayo fight in 2026 only to chant somebody else's name.
