Canelo Alvarez could make history by challenging Artur Beterbiev for his undisputed light heavyweight championship next. Beterbiev (21-0, 20 KOs) is without an opponent due to his rematch with Dmitry Bivol being pushed back to October 2025 for the next Riyadh season opener, and Canelo would be ideal.
The upside for Canelo to fight and defeat Artur Beterbiev would be huge for his legacy as he is the best of the best at 175. Alvarez has always done well against fighters who fight aggressively and Gennadiy Golovkin and Miguel Cotto in their defeated fleur. Beterbiev is the same kind of aggressive, big punching fighter as those guys, just a little bigger.
Canelo is coming off a win over giant light heavyweight Edgar Berlanga, and he showed in that fight that he has the talent to 193-lb fighter. He dominated Berlanga, who in their fight on September 14th looked bigger than Beterbiev in his recent match on October 12th.
Superstar Canelo (62-2-2, 39 KOs) can challenge Beterbiev, the King of the Lightweight weight class, for his four belts and thus try to become a two-division champion.
Is it worth the risk for Canelo?
While there would be a chance that Canelo would fail against Beterbiev, he would receive less flak from fans than if he fought David Benavidez or one of the fighters in the 168-lb division and lost. Canelo will be applauded for being brave enough to face Beterbiev.
There will be more fan interest if Canelo shows bravery by moving up to 175 to fight Beterbiev than if he stays at 168 to keep fighting lesser fighters. Canelo has hurt his brand in the last handful of fights, against this flawed bunch:
– Edgar Berlanga
– Jaime Munguia
– Jermell Charlo
– John Ryder
Fighting the lesser guys was a mistake for Canelo, and he should move up to 175 permanently after his loss to Bivol in 2022. Staying at 168 to fight that weak bunch has helped Canelo’s popularity with fans hurt because it showed him that he only had his lube. bank account with soft opposition.
Canelo has more to gain by moving up to 175 to fight Beterbiev than he has to lose, and it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he lost to this level of fighter. Even if Canelo does get knocked out by Beterbiev, it will still be worth it.
Beterbiev turns 40 in January, and he doesn’t have much time left before he retires. If Canelo wants to face this talented champion before he leaves the sport, now would be the best time to do it. He can’t wait another two to three years to face Beterbiev because he’ll probably be retired by then, and even if he’s still fighting, he’ll be older.
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