"He is mandatory contender" - WBC president reveals the next opponent for Canelo Alvarez after Jermell Charlo fight

Saul Alvarez a.k.a Canelo is set to take on Jermell Charlo on September 30th, 2023. He will put the undisputed super middleweight title on the line against junior middleweight champion Charlo, who is moving up in weight for the first time. While the outcome of this fight is not a foregone conclusion, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman has his eyes set on Canelo’s next title defense.

In a recent interview with gambling.com, Sulaiman spoke about a variety of topics and revealed the name of the mandatory challenger for Canelo Alvarez after he takes care of business on September 30. According to the WBC president, David Benavidez will be the mandatory challenger who gets the opportunity to dethrone Canelo Alvarez.

Mauricio Sulaiman told gambling.com:

“David Benavidez. He is the interim champion. He is mandatory contender for the WBC. Benavidez’s term for the mandatory status is in March, 2024. It will absolutely be a great fight.”

David Benavidez, who holds a perfect 27-0 record as a pro, is the current interim super middleweight champion. He won the vacant interim WBC interim super middleweight title by defeating David Lemieux inside of three rounds. In his most recent ring appearance, he successfully defended the title against Canelo's former opponent Caleb Plant via unanimous decision.

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Mauricio Sulaiman is not overlooking Canelo Alvarez vs Jermell Charlo

While speaking about Canelo Alvarez in the same interview, the interviewer curiously asked Mauricio Sulaiman to give his take on the Mexican boxer’s upcoming showdown against Jermell Charlo. Sulaiman, who is excited for the matchup, stated:

“It is a great fight. It is something very interesting. Undisputed super middleweight and undisputed super welterweight. Great rivalry between Mexico and USA – history says great fights come from these combinations and I don’t think it will be different. It will be a great, tough fight for both.”

Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is a -420 favorite heading into the contest while junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo is a +330 underdog. Alvarez suffered the second loss of his professional boxing career in May 2022 when he challenged Dmitry Bivol for the WBA light heavyweight title.

The loss snapped his sixteen-fight undefeated run since losing to Floyd Mayweather in September 2013. However, he bounced back quickly with back-to-back wins over Gennady Golovkin and John Ryder.

Meanwhile, Charlo has been on a tear since losing to Tony Harrison in 2018. The 33-year-old recaptured the light middleweight title from Harrison in 2019 and defeated Brian Castano in his most recent outing via a tenth-round knockout.