Who will Canelo Alvarez fight next? Potential opponents for May 4 return confirmed

It appears that Canelo Alvarez's next fight has been narrowed down to two opponents.

The Mexican superstar has been out of the ring since a unanimous decision victory over Jermell Charlo in September. That was yet another title defense for Alvarez, previously picking up lopsided wins over John Ryder and Gennadiy Golovkin.

Following the victory, the super-middleweight champion took a bit of a hiatus. However, Alvarez has since announced his intentions to return to the ring on May 4 in Las Vegas. What the Mexican boxer didn't announce, however, is his next opponent.

According to a recent report from ESPN Mexico, Alvarez's next opponent will be either Jaime Munguia or Jermall Charlo. The report doesn't come as a huge surprise, given the fact that the champion has been linked to both in recent weeks.

For Munguia, the fight would be the biggest of his career thus far. The 27-year-old currently holds a 43-0 record to his name and is coming off a dominant win over John Ryder in January. Munguia retired 'The Gorilla' after notching a ninth-round knockout.

Meanwhile, 'Hitman' is fresh off a dominant decision victory over Jose Benavidez Jr. in November. It's worth noting that Charlo was previously in the running to fight Alvarez in September, prior to his brother getting the nod.

It's also worth noting that in an interview earlier this month, Alvarez stated that his next opponent wouldn't be Mexican. While that should rule out Munguia, Al Haymon's PBC is now willing to pay upwards of $35 million to make that bout happen.

---

Canelo Alvarez warned his legacy will be "stained" ahead of next fight

One thing is for sure - Canelo Alvarez's next fight won't be against David Benavidez.

'The Mexican Monster' has long been viewed by many to be the biggest challenger to the champion's title reign. Even the legendary Mike Tyson has picked Benavidez to defeat Alvarez if they ever fight.

After Benavidez dominated Demetrius Andrade in November, it appeared that he would finally fight Alvarez. However, WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman has declined to order that fight until March.

With the news of Alvarez's next fight, Benavidez's promoter, Sampson Lewkowicz, felt the need to send a message to the champion. Speaking with ProBoxTV this week, he stated:

“Canelo’s legacy will be stained, because he did not fight the best at this time which is Benavidez. I think the children, maybe the grandchildren one day, will ask him why he did not fight Benavidez. He says he wants the best fights, but that’s the best fight.”