By Chris Walker,

After solidifying his position as the world’s best middleweight with a justified close decision win over New York’s Daniel Jacobs, Saul Alvarez will no doubt be planning his next step. Here, Sporting News looks at five fighters who may appeal to boxing’s Pound for Pound superstar.

Gennadiy Golovkin

Despite this classic middleweight rivalry already giving us two excellent fights, some are still unwise to who is the best fighter between Saul Alvarez and Gennadiy Golovkin. Their first battle in 2017 somehow ended in a controversial draw when it was clear to most that the Kazakh man was a worthy winner. Their rematch a year later was a lot closer, but with some still favoring Golovkin, it was the Mexican icon who took the victory.

Due to the scoring circumstances that surrounded both fights, this lengthy feud between two outstanding boxers has yet to cool and with both now performing on the DAZN network, television, always a major stumbling, appears straightforward. There’ll be plenty more negotiating between the pair, but for now, a third fight with Golovkin contains the most appeal for boxing fans when analyzing Alvarez’ next move.

Callum Smith

Identified as a blue-chip prospect since turning professional at the backend of 2012, Callum Smith finally fulfilled the multiple prophecies heaped on him since day one when he obliterated George Groves in the WBSS final last September. Unbeaten in 25 fights and desperate to remain in the bright spotlight afforded to him by last year’s inaugural WBSS tournament, Smith would relish a showdown with Saul Alvarez.

In December last year, Canelo ventured to 168lbs to seemingly test the waters and in the process, he took a portion of the WBA title previously held by Smith’s city counterpart, Rocky Fielding. Alvarez made the step up appear easy and if options at middleweight don’t present themselves, a return north to the division above to take on Smith would enhance his legacy massively.

Demetrius Andrade

With Saul Alvarez owning the bulk of the belt at 160lbs, the only strap missing from his collection is the WBO gong held by Demetrius Andrade. The Rhode Island native, long a darling of boxing purists, has had to endure numerous promotional quarrels throughout his stop-start career, but with Matchroom now navigating his potential journey to superstardom, a fight with Alvarez, for all the marbles, is the type of occasion why he placed his faith in Eddie Hearn’s organization.

Highly-skilled and extremely awkward, Andrade would surely present the type of questions that Canelo hasn’t always answered with confidence when dealing with defensive operators. A defeat to Floyd Mayweather, his sole loss, placed some doubts on Alvarez and there were hard nights with Austin Trout and Erislandy Lara when Alvarez, for brief periods, looked an ordinary fighter. Andrade, always confident, would be banking on exploiting those weaknesses if the pair met for full middleweight supremacy.

Billy Joe Saunders

Once considered the best middleweight in the world not named Saul Alvarez or Gennady Golovkin, Billy Joe Saunders, with the WBO belt attached to him, was considered a viable opponent for those leading the division. A failed drug test led to him losing his title outside the ring and with a potential move to 168lbs to secure lofty honors currently underway, Saunders future regarding his weight class is still unclear.

With his name linked to Golovkin and Alvarez for so long, Saunders could still be seen as a suitable opponent for the Mexican ruler when discussing future options. Despite enduring issues outside the ring, Saunders is still a leading fighter and his ledger, that includes wins over Chris Eubank Jr, Andy Lee, and David Lemieux, is one of the finest at 160lbs, and whether his future lies at middleweight or the division above, Saunders will pose a decent threat.

Jaime Munguia

One of the easiest fights to make considering they share the same promotional group, but is Jaime Munguia likely to be seen as a viable threat to Saul Alvarez? One thinks not. His ascension through the rankings at 154lbs was admirable and when opposed by Sadam Ali last May, Munguia looked like a potential superstar following a blistering 4th round victory. That was followed up with a wide points win over former world champion, Liam Smith, and that’s when talk of an all-Mexico dispute with Canelo was first mentioned.

Since then, Munguia has remained unbeaten with three more wins, but last time out against Australia’s Dennis Hogan, the popular 22-year-old was fortunate to escape with his world title and undefeated record intact. Golden Boy now has to be sensible plotting Munguia’s next move and if they decide that his ceiling has already been hit, a cash out against Alvarez that would appease boxing’s Mexican audience could be one direction to turn.

Article courtesy of Chris Walker & SportingNews