Canelo Alvarez could next defend his title against Edgar Berlanga or Jermall Charlo in September.
Berlanga, the WBA 168-pound contender, has been named multiple times as a possible next opponent for Canelo, with former two-division world champion Jermall (33-0, 22 KOs) now also being considered as another option.
Salvador Rodriguez of ESPN Knockout reported on X that Canelo could face either Berlanga or Jermall on September 14 or “one to three weeks later.”
Jermall Charlo: A strong option
Though the 34-year-old Jermall Charlo has only fought once in the past three years, he is still a more proven fighter than the 27-year-old Berlanga (22-0, 17 KOs) and is more deserving of a title fight against Canelo, the undisputed super middleweight champion.
Fans will be critical of Canelo no matter which fighter he chooses for his next bout in September, and it seems likely that Canelo and his manager/trainer Eddy Reynoso will choose the lesser of two evils.
Jahmall wasn't too bad in his most recent fight on November 25th, when he defeated Jose Benavidez via a 10-round unanimous decision, winning by one-sided scores of 100-90, 99-91, 98-92.
Jermall was one of the contenders for Canelo's final bout on May 4, but the Mexican star chose Jaime Munguia instead, defeating him by 12-round unanimous decision.
Fan Reaction
Fans on social media are overwhelmingly favoring Jermall Charlo over Berlanga to be Canelo's next opponent in September, but are less excited to see Canelo fight Jermall, who they feel has the more proven track record, having won world titles in two weight classes and facing much better opponents than Berlanga.
The problem with Berlanga is that he has a reputation for being a spoiled fighter, facing weak opponents throughout his pro career. Some believe Berlanga was created by the former Top Rank promoter to prey on the New York fans.
If Canelo is only interested in making money from the East Coast fans who are supporting Berlanga despite his weak record, that would be the right way to go. It would be an interesting choice, as Canelo will likely continue to criticize all the way up to the fight. Berlanga is fun to hear talk about himself, as he seems so unrealistic. He is very good at self-promotion.
