For Canelo, will it be revenge on Bivol or is Crawford a better option?

LAS VEGAS — Canelo Alvarez crashed one of his patented left hooks into Edgar Berlanger's chin in Round 3 as the major underdog fell to the mat Saturday.

Berlanga clasped his gloves together in frustration and collected himself. He then proceeds to pump his jab from the outside, avoiding the right hand that first made a name for himself.

Berlanga scored a moral victory, perhaps, reaching the final hour. For Canelo, it was the fourth fight in a row where he floored his opponent but settled for a decision win.

Regardless, Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) doesn't seem bothered that he hasn't scored a KO since November 2021.

“Now what will they say?” Alvarez, 34, said during his post-fight interview. “I fight young fighters. They say I fight older fighters. They always talk. … My experience, my talent, my hard work, my intelligence, everything together. [makes me the best]”

What they can say: Canelo was a -1600 favorite and after a string of wins against boxers who are decidedly not on his level since losing to Dimitri Bivol in May 2022, he needs a challenge. Fortunately, boxing's top stars have options to cure what ails them. One such fighter looking to land the assignment is Terence Crawford, who was ringside.

Crawford compared his quest to step up for a shot at Canelo to the 1983 Marvin Hagler-Robert Duran fight (Duran moved up from 154 pounds). “Except the little guy will win this fight,” Crawford told ESPN on Thursday.

Canelo's next fight could be a complete departure from his past four where he was heavily favored to win. This could be his return to the elite level of competition, his toughest fight since his loss to Bivol. Possible recruitment of Alvarez's expected return on Cinco de Mayo weekend next year? A rematch against Bivol, if all goes according to plan.

Despite close margins on the scorecards (115-113 three times), Bivol defeated Canelo to defend the light heavyweight title. And if Bivel can defeat Artur Beterbiev in a hotly anticipated coin flip bout for the undisputed light heavyweight championship on Oct. 12 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Alvarez told ESPN on Wednesday he's interested in a rematch later.

Alvarez is motivated, he said, to get revenge on the only person other than Floyd Mayweather to beat him in his 66 pro fights. The Mexican icon is also enthusiastic about the idea of ​​becoming the undisputed champion in the second weight class.

“Nothing went right in that fight for me [vs. Bivol]” Alvarez said. Canelo dealt with a left wrist injury and later underwent surgery after a win in his third meeting with Gennady Golovkin in September 2022.

With his surgically repaired lead hand before scoring a Berlanger knockdown on Saturday, Canelo scored knockdowns in his next three fights (John Ryder, Jermael Charlo and Jaime Munguia). Although all four opponents were given little chance to beat Canelo, Canelo would find himself in rarefied territory as an underdog if he were to fight Bivol again.

“I feel like I shouldn't have lost the fight but it is what it is,” Alvarez said. He added that he was motivated by the opportunity to fight Bivol “100 per cent there”. Of course, Bivol first had to beat Beterbiev, boxing's only champion with a 100% KO ratio; Bivol is a -125 favorite, per ESPN BET.

“He has that ability [beat Beterbiev],” Canelo said, adding that he's only interested in Bivol if he wins, not Beterbiev. ” … Beterbiev is a strong fighter, he's a good fighter, and it's going to be a tough fight.”

There is another obstacle though. Alvarez expressed interest in a Bivel rematch after his victory over Ryder in May 2023 but only at 175 pounds (where they first met.) Bivel insisted on a return bout at 168 pounds for Alvarez's undisputed super middleweight championship.

This could again present a sticking point, although Alvarez represents Bivol's biggest payday available, as Canelo does for every potential opponent.

“I need motivation,” Bivol, ESPN's No. 4 pound-for-pound boxer, told ESPN last summer. “And fight him, it's not an easy fight. And I already beat him at 175. Why would I fight him again? Well, let's try for his belt, but he doesn't want this fight. [at 168] And I don't care.

“Obviously he feels inside that he won that fight. But we're athletes. We can always find excuses and we can always find reasons why it happened. Every time I finish my fight I think, oh, I Could have fought better but I didn't because I felt pain in my leg or I had a bad breakfast or something.”

Alvarez has found reason to decline a fight with volume-punching and longtime mandatory challenger David Benavidez, who has long lobbied for a matchup with Canelo. Benavidez finally moved up to 175 pounds in June and was unimpressive in a win over Oleksandr Govozdic, though Benavidez was dealing with a torn hand ligament.

Canelo continues to express interest in a meeting with Benavidez.

“He's fighting in his weight class, 175, and he doesn't always look like him [looks] Because it's different when you're fighting in your weight class,” Alvarez said.

Another interesting option for Canelo is Crawford, ESPN's No. 2 pound-for-pound boxer. The former undisputed welterweight champion made his 154-pound debut last month with a decision victory over Ismail Madrimov, but he was not dominant against a highly underrated boxer who reigned as junior middleweight champion.

The 37-year-old Crawford continues to campaign for a shot at Canelo at the 168-pound weight limit even though he is two weight classes (or 14 pounds) below Alvarez. While there are plenty of doubts about Crawford's ability to fight with Canelo's size advantage, there is no doubting Crawford's talent or the commercial viability of the event.

A Canelo-Crawford fight is arguably the biggest in heavyweight boxing, and it's a Crawford looking beyond the immense payday it will present.

“I think it's a legacy fight and I think it's a fight I can actually win,” Crawford said. “I've always been a small guy. In every weight class I've ever competed in, everyone has always said I'm too small for this guy, too small for that guy, and I've always been successful in fights. t winning fights is why my skills pay the bills and my skills Me this far.

“I think it will tell [who is the] No. 1 guy … in the post-Mayweather era, who is the king of kings.”

Crawford has yet to come close to losing, even though Madrimov gave him his toughest fight yet. He moved down the weight classes after winning his first championship at lightweight, becoming the undisputed champion at junior welterweight and welterweight. And, as Crawford points out, he's both taller than Canelo with a longer reach (½ inch in height and 3½ in reach).

Still, Canelo is much bigger than he is tall with punching power to match. Ten of Canelo's last 13 fights were contested at 168 pounds – two at 175 and one at 160. The last time Canelo competed at 154 pounds? September 2016.

“If I beat him, no one would say, 'Oh, he's going to beat Crawford because [Canelo’s] A good fighter,” Canelo said. “He is [a] Pound-for-pound is great, too, but he's small. You're going to start seeing 'but she's short and this.' But if the money is right why not at this point in my career.

Canelo is touting his legacy that is already secured as one of the greatest of all time and the longest-running face of the sport. He earns upwards of $35 million every time he steps through the ropes and has nothing left to prove.

He still has the hunger to compete and train hard, though, and soon, he'll definitely want to challenge himself. That means a fight with Bivol or Crawford next.

“I'm already fighting the best out there and I'm still doing well,” Canelo said. “I'm the best in the world.”