What’s next for Canelo Alvarez after Caleb Plant victory?

Canelo Alvarez stopped Caleb Plant in round 11 to become the undisputed super middleweight champion. So what will he do next?

Canelo Alvarez beat the daylights out of Caleb Plant to become the first undisputed super middleweight of the modern era on Saturday, Nov. 6. Moments after the fight was stopped, many had to ask, what’s next?

Alvarez (57-1-2, 39 KOs) continues to prove that he can keep getting better. His boxing greatness knows no bounds. Now that he has all four division titles, he has lots of moves and almost no boundaries.

Alvarez could move up a division to light heavyweight. He has done it before.

Alvarez knocked out Sergey Kovalev in 2019 to win the WBO light heavyweight title. He relinquished it to pursue the super middleweight division, but he could move back up. Alvarez is very small for that division, but his size didn’t stop him from thrashing Kovalev.

The most attractive opponents at light heavyweight would be Dmitry Bivol or Artur Beterbiev. Both are talented and undefeated, but they’re not well known by the world at large. Boxing diehards would love either of those fights, but casual fans might not care.

Fresh off his victory over Caleb Plant, a trilogy bout with Gennadiy Golovkin might be the next move for Canelo Alvarez

You run into the same problem at super middleweight. Current WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo would move up in a heartbeat to challenge Alvarez for his titles. During the Alvarez vs. Plant weigh-in,  this reporter heard Charlo scream, “I’m f**king fighting Canelo next!”

Charlo would be a worthy opponent, but he lacks name recognition beyond boxing. The same is true with David Benavidez, but he’s such a hard hitter that he could be marketed the right way to build a megafight. He also has a massive fanbase.

The only name more attractive than Benavidez would be Gennadiy Golovkin. Golovkin fought Alvarez to a draw in 2019, then dropped a majority decision to Alvarez in 2018.

Talk of an Alvarez vs. Golovkin trilogy has floated around for a long time. The history between them and the beauty of how their styles mesh assure that this would be a pleasing contest. Also, Golovkin is a very recognizable name. He’s one of the most popular fighters in boxing.

Golovkin will likely fight Ryoya Murata on Dec. 28 in Japan. Assuming he wins, Alvarez vs. Golovkin would be an easy fight to make. Alvarez is a promotional free agent but has a good relationship with Matchroom CEO Eddie Hearn. Hearn also has a business relationship with Golovkin, and Golovkin is a DAZN fighter with ties to Matchroom.

Alvarez knows that Golovkin is a close second and may desire an easier route, but it would net the most money. Golovkin is the frontrunner, but Alvarez’s options are as plentiful as his overflowing success.