What's Next For Canelo

So what is next for Canelo? Well a trilogy fight with Gennady Golovkin is being mooted, but there could also be a blockbuster scrap with one of two British superstars: WBO super-middleweight. Another weekend in boxing is done and dusted, with Canelo Alvarez returning for a predictably simple win over Avni Yildirim in the headline bout. Home World News What’s next for Canelo, Joseph Parker, Junior Fa, Zhang.

Elite pound-for-pound fighters Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Gennadiy 'Triple G' Golovkin returned to the ring on successive evenings just before Christmas with emphatic victories. But is a third fight between the duo the next step for both?

Alvarez handed Callum Smith his first professional defeat with a unanimous decision victory in San Antonio, Texas, for the WBA, WBC and The Ring super-middleweight titles. 24 hours beforehand, Golovkin made a record 21st world middleweight title defense to halt another unbeaten fighter, Kamil Szeremeta, after seven rounds of their IBF championship clash.

On DAZN's 'Jabs', Chris Mannix and former WBC light-middleweight champion Sergio Mora discussed what 2021 could have in store for two of the sport's biggest stars, and agreed that if Cinco de Mayo weekend isn't headlined by GGG-Canelo III, it will probably never happen.

'It’s next or never,' said Mora. 'They just headlined back-to-back nights, Friday and Saturday. They both had convincing wins, and neither of them got cut or have any injuries. They could go on to May and have their trilogy, finally.

'There’s a lot of built-up animosity and disrespect there. Canelo does not like Triple G, and Golovkin has “turned heel” recently. I just think that it has to happen in May, or it’s not gonna happen at all. That’s the fight I wanna see next, give me Triple G and Canelo!

Mannix responded: 'I’d like to disagree with you, but as much as I think that a Billy Joe Saunders or a Caleb Plant fight is pretty good, I do think that now is the time [for the trilogy]. It’s now-or-never.

'Golovkin looked good against Kamil Szeremeta, but if he doesn’t fight Canelo next he will have to find another opponent. And it could be an opponent that will beat him. You have to think that he will need to face a high-level guy.

'That means a Demetrius Andrade, or a Daniel Jacobs, or Jaime Munguia has been mentioned. I’m not sure Golovkin beats all those guys. Maybe Munguia, because he has more experience, but the rest of them would be tough for Golovkin at this stage of his career.

'You have to keep Golovkin on the winning train, here. He’s coming off that big win, he looked very good. Canelo also looked brilliant. Now is the time. The momentum is there.'

'The Latin Snake', however, wasn't convinced that those three alternative opponents for Golovkin would happen, either.

Mora said: 'The Jacobs fight would have been good if he had taken care of business like he should have against Gabe Rosado, but now that’s not gonna happen. And nobody wants to face Andrade, stylistically.

'Munguia makes a lot of sense, though. That would be two trains crashing against each other, but Munguia is younger so physically I just think he’s gonna be able to take more than Golovkin and I think if we want to see the trilogy, Munguia would just take whatever’s left in Golovkin, physically, right out of him. So I think the rematch needs to happen next.'

Mannix and Mora go on to discuss the possibility of Errol Spence Jr. moving across the weight classes to face Canelo, and more, in the latest episode of 'Jabs' which can be viewed in full here, with a DAZN subscription.

LAS VEGAS -- Reaffirming his status as the unified middleweight champion of the world, Canelo Alvarez defeated Daniel Jacobs by unanimous decision Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena. With the victory, Canelo added a third title to his already vast collection of belts.

Let's break down the biggest questions that came from Saturday's result.

Was this the fight we wanted to see?

Though Canelo came out victorious, it certainly wasn't one of his more entertaining or memorable performances. Much of that had to do with Jacobs, who was once again overly cautious in the early stages of a big fight. Canelo seemed to cruise a bit in the later stages of the bout after building a big lead early.

Though we were promised Marvin Hagler-Thomas Hearns, what was delivered was a chess match with only pockets of sustained action.

Canelo boxed effectively for large stretches of the bout, backing up the much larger Jacobs (who earlier in the morning didn't comply with the contracted 10-pound hydration limit) and controlling things by coming forward methodically. For the first two-thirds of the fight, it was Canelo landing the harder, cleaner punches and winning whatever exchanges took place.

This was much more of a boxing match than a fight.

What's next for Canelo?

The most natural fight would be a third go-around with Gennady Golovkin, after fighting to a split draw in 2017 and winning a majority decision last September. Although there might be some fatigue with this particular fight, can you honestly name a better pure matchup at 160 pounds? Or one that will attract as much commercial interest?

No, you can't. You get the sense that there is still unfinished business between the two.

Making this fight is a real possibility, since they are both aligned with DAZN and it seems to be a very easy one to make.

What are Canelo's other options?

There is the possibility of facing Demetrius Andrade, whose WBO title is the last remaining belt at middleweight Canelo doesn't have. But the reality is 'Boo Boo' is the very definition of high risk/low reward. He's a well-schooled, lanky, athletic southpaw who can glide smoothly around the ring and has never particularly cared much for putting on crowd-pleasing efforts. In other words, he's a younger, bigger version of Austin Trout and Erislandy Lara.

You could argue that if a green Canelo faced Trout and Lara -- who both troubled him for 12 rounds -- why wouldn't a much more polished version of him face Andrade? If you really delve into Andrade's record, you could make an argument against the fight.

Quick: Name Andrade's best win. See, that's the point.

What's Next For Canelo

But styles make fights, and Andrade does have the physical attributes to make life difficult for Canelo.

This matchup seems unlikely -- for now -- but Canelo has always been an ambitious fighter. He doesn't just want to make money (of which he makes plenty), he also wants to create history. Maybe the allure of capturing all four major belts would offset the perceived risk of facing Andrade.

For what it's worth, Canelo said at the post-fight news conference that his goal is to unify the division and to fight whoever has a title.

Is Canelo the best middleweight?

Right now, that is probably a rhetorical question.

How Rich Is Canelo

Not only does he have to be considered the best middleweight on the planet, but with victories over Trout, Lara, Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan, Golovkin and now Jacobs, Alvarez has one of the most impressive résumés in all of boxing. You can argue that he has gotten favorable treatment from the judges, but it's hard to deny how he has developed as an all-around boxer.

It's going to take a very good fighter on a very good night to defeat Canelo, 28, who is right in the thick of his physical prime and showing more facets technically each and every time out.

What's Next For Canelo Alvarez

He is the brightest star in boxing. And it looks like he's going to shine for a while.