Edgar Berlanga was in need of an eye-opening finish.
The undefeated 26-year-old delivered just that via a scintillating sixth-round TKO of Padraig McCrory on Saturday night in Orlando, Florida, and live on DAZN.
With the win improving his record to 22-0 with 17 KOs, Berlanga unlocks plenty of alluring fight options — none greater than a possible clash with Canelo Alvarez.
Here, DAZN lists three possible bouts for the heavy hitter from Brooklyn, New York.
Canelo Alvarez
By defeating McCrory, Berlanga became the mandatory WBA challenger for Alvarez's undisputed super middleweight world championship. We know that Canelo loves to fight in May and September.
And Berlanga did not hesitate to seize the moment in calling out the face of boxing for a fight as early as May, noting that boxing needs to reprise the Puerto Rican-Mexican rivalry.
His promoter Eddie Hearn vowed that Berlanga, who just regained his knockout artistry, will stand in front of Canelo in a fight that would be bound to spark fireworks.
Whether Berlanga's performance can put him in front of the likes of David Benavidez, Jermall Charlo or Jaime Munguia in the Canelo sweepstakes remains to be seen.
Jaime Munguia
As part of their push for a Canelo fight, Hearn did acknowledge that one more bout might be necessary before getting the boxing superstar in the ring.
Well, in that case, why not Munguia?
Like Berlanga, Munguia (43-0 with 34 KOs) is a young, heavy-handed power puncher who has a penchant for piecing together raucous output.
A fight between Berlanga and Munguia would satisfy hungry boxing fans and present that Puerto Rican-Mexican rivalry that Berlanga called for.
Furthermore, it would narrow down Canelo's options, forcing him to acknowledge the winner.
David Benavidez
Fans have been clamoring for Canelo vs. Benavidez for quite some time now.
At 27, Benavidez (28-0 with 24 KOs) is a former two-time WBC super middleweight world champion and its current interim titleholder to Canelo's undisputed crown.
If neither lands the Canelo fight, Berlanga taking on Benavidez would dazzle.
For Berlanga, the challenge of handing "The Mexican Monster" his first pro loss would offer the platform to gain invaluable experience — not to mention a significant purse and future lock to face Canelo. It would make all the sense in the world, especially considering these two have exchanged words before as well.