Canelo Alvarez Reveals What Next Opponent Must Do if They Want Shot at Him

Canelo Alvarez is not looking past Christian Mbilli, but he is giving the super middleweight division a task ahead of his expected return date.

Alvarez is still three months away from his scheduled return fight against Mbilli, yet fans are already wondering who he could face in his 70th professional bout. While admitting that he is not looking at anyone in the division aside from Mbilli, the 35-year-old revealed how any 168-pounder can "earn" a fight with him.

Canelo on next potential opponent

Canelo Alvarez | IMAGO / Agencia-MexSport

When asked about a potential fight against either super middleweight champion Hamzah Sheeraz or Osleys Iglesias, Alvarez said he wants to see them face each other first.

"I think they need to fight each other, and then I find out the winner, right?" Alvarez said via Inside The Ring. "That's the most smart thing they can do... We all, at some point, need to earn what we deserve. They need to earn it. I don't say they don't deserve it; they're champions, No. 1, or whatever. But they need to fight each other and then after my fight, we will see."

"They need to EARN it" 🗣️

Canelo reveals his plans after Mbilli!

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Sheeraz and Iglesias both recently achieved world champion status ahead of Alvarez's return. Sheeraz made quick work of Alem Begic to become the WBO champion at 'Glory in Giza' in May, one month after Iglesias stopped Pavel Silyagin to defend the IBO title and win the IBF belt.

Alvarez was the division's undisputed champion from 2021 to 2025, when he lost the belts to Terence Crawford in one of the biggest fights in recent boxing history. His return fight against Mbilli gives him an opportunity to win the WBC belt back.

Alvarez-Mbilli winner faces potential mandatory challenger

While Sheeraz and Iglesias have both generated significant momentum in the first half of 2026, the Alvarez-Mbilli winner could find themselves preparing for a different opponent down the line. Mbilli is the WBC's super middleweight champion, but Lester Martinez is its interim titleholder, potentially making the Guatemalan the winner's future mandatory challenger.

Christian Mbilli and Lester Martinez — Christian Mbilli (black trunks) | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Martinez has already challenged Mbilli once, fighting the then-interim champion to a competitive split draw on the Canelo-Crawford undercard. Many expected a rematch of the thrilling 12-round war, but Martinez instead fought and defeated Immanuwel Aleem to win the vacant title in March after the WBC promoted Mbilli.

As a former training partner of Crawford's, Martinez has had the former pound-for-pound king screaming his name since he retired.

The 30-year-old already has a built-in storyline with both Alvarez and Mbilli that would make it easy to promote either fight.

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