LAS VEGAS — Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez has numerous big-fight options after he outclassed Jermell Charlo through 12 rounds of boxing last month at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Two of the top names linked to Canelo now are Terence Crawford, who scored one of the greatest welterweight wins of all time when he annihilated Errol Spence Jr., and David Benavidez, who has one of the most tenacious engines in the sport today.
For elite boxing coach Bob Santos, who trains Mario Barrios and Hector Luis Garcia amongst other fighters, a fight against Canelo may "be a stretch too much" for Crawford.
Benavidez, meanwhile, could be the biggest fight out there.
"Well … I know David Benavidez really, really well," Santos told ProBox TV from his Pound for Pound boxing club in Las Vegas last week.
"I've been in camp with him — tremendous fighter. That would be a fantastic, Mexican, all-out shootout.
"It's more a comparable fight because both guys are in that weight class, but the Crawford performance he had against Spence, he elevated himself and is right there in that pound-for-pound, if not 1, 2, 3. Whatever your preference."
He continued: "To me, wow, I think Benavidez would be the bigger fight because everybody would see it as an even playing field.
"With Crawford, it would have to be a catchweight. And if it's not at a catchweight, as much as I love Crawford that's a stretch too much to fight him at that weight."
Canelo is expected to return to the ring next summer on a fight night closest to Cinco de Mayo. It would mark the second fight on his three-fight deal with Premier Boxing Champions.
