Edgar Berlanga and Chris Eubank Jr. lead the Canelo Alvarez race

It’s that time of year again: “Who will Canelo fight next?” The Saul Alvarez Sweepstakes comes around twice a year as the sport’s biggest attraction prepares to announce his next move.

The current favorites for the duel against Alvarez on September 14th – the weekend of Mexican Independence Day – are Edgar Berlanga and Chris Eubank Jr.

Unfortunately, the name David Benavidez is not among the leading names for almost every boxing fan. Benavidez moved up to light heavyweight in June when he defeated Oleksandr Gvozdyk, but later informed the WBC that he planned to return to super middleweight, where he is the federation’s mandatory contender, and thus exercise his right to a fight with Alvarez.

However, before everyone starts screaming that Saul, 61-2-2 (39 KOs), is avoiding his strongest rival, it should be noted that Benavidez is currently battling several injuries and will not be fit until September anyway.

Berlanga, 22-0 (17 KOs), is the WBA’s mandatory contender after defeating Padraig McCrory in an eliminator in February. Aside from that somewhat generous ranking, Berlanga is Puerto Rican and therefore likely to be an easy opponent for the Mexican superstar.

Eubank, 33-3 (24 KOs), has done absolutely nothing to warrant a title shot at 168. However, Junior knows how to sell a fight and remains one of Britain’s most marketable boxers.

The last time the 34-year-old fought at super middleweight was in February 2019, when he defeated a weakening James DeGale on points. Although he has long wanted to fight Canelo, he has also admitted on several occasions that middleweight is his natural habitat.

The Brit has been inactive since his victory against Liam Smith in September last year. These 10th The fourth-round stoppage victory was revenge for a surprise fourth-round loss eight months earlier.

Once all the details are finalized, “Canelo vs. Someone” will likely be broadcast by Amazon Prime PPV.