The unusually long embrace shared by Saul “Canelo” Alvarez and Edgar Berlanga as soon as the final bell rang on Saturday night meant the brave Berlanga earned Alvarez’s respect throughout a 12-round fight that initially looked like it would end much sooner.
Alvarez landed a left hook on Berlanga that sent the underdog crashing into his trunks just a minute into the third round. Berlanga, of Brooklyn, slapped his gloves in frustration, snapped out of it and remained on his feet throughout a fight that BetMGM had as a 16-1 favorite to win.
Mexican Alvarez acknowledged that Berlanga “did a good job” during his post-fight interview with Jim Gray. However, the unified super middleweight champion unofficially landed 49 percent of his power punches and won a wide unanimous decision on the scorecards of judges Max De Luca (118-109), David Sutherland (117-110) and Steve Weisfeld (118-109).
This lopsided loss meant a win for Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs), who was largely considered an overmatched opponent who hadn’t really earned his shot at Alvarez’s belts. Alvarez, meanwhile, went the distance in his fifth straight fight.
The Guadalajara native has not scored a knockout since stopping Caleb Plant during the 11th round of their championship unification fight in November 2021. That certainly didn’t seem to matter to the 34-year-old legend’s loyal fans who packed the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for another Alvarez celebration two days before Mexican Independence Day.
With that one-sided fight behind him, attention quickly turned Saturday night to what lies ahead for Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs). He may not be back in the ring until May 3, but boxing’s biggest star in the United States did not say whether he will fight before then or mention any potential opponents for his next fight in his interview with Gray.
Boxing’s 168-pound king could continue to face younger, undefeated super middleweight contenders, even if he continued to avoid David Benavidez, the undefeated, two-time former WBC super middleweight champion and longtime WBC No. 1 contender, who moved up to light heavyweight for his last fight because he couldn’t secure a shot at Alvarez.
Christian Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs), originally from Cameroon and based and trained in Montreal, is ranked No. 1 by the WBC. Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs), of Los Angeles, is the WBO’s No. 1 contender at 168 pounds.
Neither Mbilli nor Pacheco are considered capable enough to defeat Alvarez, but Mbilli’s relentless, action-packed style would likely lead to a fan-friendly fight no matter how long it lasted.
Alvarez could also seek a rematch with Dmitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) if the WBA light heavyweight champion defeats IBF/WBC/WBO champion Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) in their highly-anticipated 175-pound title unification fight on Oct. 12 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Russia’s Bivol beat Alvarez convincingly in their 12-round fight for Bivol’s belt in May 2022 at the T-Mobile Arena, however, Alvarez and his handlers believe Bivol overpriced himself in negotiations for a rematch that never materialized.
A win over Beterbiev would obviously intensify fan interest in a Bivol-Alvarez rematch. Bivol has repeatedly stated that he would drop from light heavyweight to super middleweight to prove that weight was not the main reason he outpointed Alvarez and won by unanimous decision 28 months ago.
Of course, Alvarez could secure a much larger payday than he would get for any of the aforementioned fights if he were to accept what the icon considers a no-win situation with Terence Crawford.
Like Alvarez, Crawford is a four-weight world champion and has long been a top-five pound-for-pound fighter. However, Crawford would have to move up two weight classes to challenge Alvarez for his super middleweight crowns.
Alvarez maintains he wouldn’t get what he considers proportionate credit for defeating a generational talent like Crawford because Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) has fought above the welterweight maximum of 147 pounds only once. Crawford’s cautious approach against Uzbekistan’s Israil Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) during his 154-pound debut (a 12-round unanimous decision win Aug. 3 in Los Angeles) suggested jumping up two divisions might be too tall a task for the WBA junior welterweight champion.
Crawford’s significant size disadvantage and the criticism that accompanied it are some of the reasons why Alvarez expects to receive nine figures for a fascinating fight that has piqued the curiosity of most boxing fans.
Crawford should remain the most attractive option for Alvarez’s next fight if he ultimately does not agree to fight Benavidez. Although Crawford would be the clear underdog, Alvarez-Crawford would attract the media attention and generate the revenue streams necessary to consider it the biggest fight in boxing right now.
Alvarez’s strained relationship with Turki Alalshikh, who has emerged as boxing’s most influential figure over the past year, could prevent an Alvarez-Crawford fight from becoming a reality. Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia’s General Entertainment Authority, attacked Alvarez on social media last month for his unwillingness to fight Benavidez.
Despite the insults, the huge sums of money make many people forgive, if not forget, and Alalshikh has been on an unprecedented spending spree since late last summer. Alvarez has already made more money than his children could possibly spend during his celebrated career, but as he proved on Saturday night, he is almost as much a shrewd businessman as he is a proud and fierce fighter.
If Alvarez was willing to endure, and in many ways ignore, the scrutiny that came along with selecting an undeserving and unproven opponent like Berlanga, a comparable principle should apply when facing an undefeated, ambitious, smaller fighter who sits atop many pound-for-pound lists and will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Frankly, Alvarez and Crawford need each other to make the biggest fight possible if they’re not going to face the opponents within their respective divisions that the higher-paying public wants them to fight.
Much to the dismay of fans who want Crawford to fight interim WBC super welterweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) or IBF welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs, 1 NC), Crawford has unfortunately stated that he is not interested in either of those intriguing challenges. Crawford turns 37 on Sept. 28 and understands that he, too, could eclipse nine figures for a megafight against Alvarez because Crawford is aligned with Alalshikh.
Crawford could also settle for fights with less dangerous 154-pound champions than Ortiz or even retire undefeated. The Omaha, Nebraska native instead intends to risk his “0” by facing a heavier, stronger, elite-level opponent like Alvarez.
Crawford’s critics have criticized him for going for money and not greatness in what is considered a no-lose situation. While Alvarez has made some bizarre statements about why he won’t fight Benavidez, Crawford has been unapologetic about not wanting to test himself against younger, hungrier legitimate threats.
Regardless of how Alvarez and Crawford choose to explain these decisions during the end of their careers, if they are not going to face the younger, more prominent opponents in their respective divisions that fans most want them to fight, they apparently need each other to make the biggest deal possible.
