Undisputed super middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez intends on returning to the ring around his traditional Cinco De Mayo date this spring. 

Alvarez has an array of options ranging from super middleweight, light heavyweight, and cruiserweight. As Team Canelo weighs its options, two likely candidates that top the list are a pair of middleweights who would have to move up a division in order to face the Mexican fighter.

Alvarez trainer and confidant Eddy Reynoso prefers a meeting with one of boxing’s brightest stars for his pupil’s next fight.

“[Jermall] Charlo [is a better fight for Alvarez]. I think a fight Charlo is more media-friendly,” Reynoso told Fight Hub TV. “Charlo is a fighter that sells more, a fighter that more people follow, and because of that it’s a more attractive fight.

“Canelo is at the level where he can fight with anyone. I think the difference will be the weight and we have to be careful with that. He's fighting in weight classes where he feels strong and 168 is where he feels strong.” 

Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) unseated 168-pound champions Callum Smith, Billy Joe Saunders, and Caleb Plant in an 11-month span while even sandwiching a mandatory defense of his title against the outmatched Avni Yildirim. 

Outside of former two-time super middleweight titlist David Benavidez, who never lost his titles in the ring, little resistance remains in the division. 

The four-division champion Alvarez has only fought once at 175 pounds and he knocked out Sergey Kovalev in 2019 to score a title he then vacated. 

Names or current champions like Artur Beterbiev, Dmitry Bivol, and Joe Smith continue to swirl, but neither of them offers the commercial appeal that Alvarez prefers quite like Charlo or archrival Gennadiy Golovkin. 

Reynoso remains adamant that a third fight with the aging Kazakh KO artist could still be a possibility. 

“Let’s see if something can happen in May or September. Truth is, Golovkin has raised his hand recently to fight against Canelo. There’s intent there for a trilogy,” said Reynoso. “Yeah, 168. If [Golovkin] wants he can come up. Saul can’t go down. He can't make 160 anymore. 

“We are going to be working with the promoter that has the best fighters and best fights for us ... let's see who we can have a good fight with. 

“We are looking to fight in May or September in the US and the last one in Mexico. Let's see if we can fight in Azteca Stadium. We are in Canelo's best moment of his career. Hopefully, we get a chance to fight there.” 

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com.