The face of boxing does not have a shortage of opponents to face if Dmitry Bivol somehow gets removed from the menu. Here are three options for Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez in the case a Bivol rematch doesn't work out.
Gilberto Ramirez
First off, I believe that the only way that Canelo is justified skipping a Bivol rematch is if Ramirez beats Bivol and beats him badly. There’s an old adage that goes the enemy of my enemy is my friend. But in boxing the enemy of my enemy is also my enemy.
Therefore, if Ramirez wins, and Canelo cheats on his no Mexican fighter diet, then the greatness Canelo attempted by moving up to light heavyweight can potentially still be accomplished. I say greatness because at five-foot-eight, Canelo is smaller than every top junior middleweight besides Brian Castano. And I doubt that anyone who currently fights in that division would be willing to fight Bivol at 175 pounds.
Jermall Charlo
My second option is the WBC middleweight champion Jermall Charlo. This fight, like the Gennadiy Golovkin one, would have to take place at super middleweight. There are a handful of fans that make two absurd claims: One being that Canelo ducked Charlo when (Alvarez) campaigned at middleweight, a claim that Jermall Charlo said to me is false and he doesn’t believe Canelo has ducked him or anyone but rather has taken on tough fights. The other claim is that Canelo doesn’t fight slick, Black fighters in their prime.
Well, I wouldn’t call Charlo slick and Canelo already fought Daniel Jacobs, who like Charlo is six feet and a very hard puncher. A fight with Charlo, if Canelo’s victorious, would make seven undefeated champions on his resume.
David Benavidez
My final option as of late has become the most mentioned and perhaps the most dangerous and that’s David Benavidez. He’s a true super middleweight that looks more like a light heavyweight and has shown hand speed that may be the fastest in the division. He also sports the highest knockout rate in the division at 88 percent. He’s undefeated and stands almost six-feet-one and would have a four-inch reach advantage over Canelo. In my opinion, if Canelo was to fight Benavidez and win, it might finally silence the critics.
Overall, these are the only options that I believe makes sense and would add to his impeccable legacy.