Canelo Alvarez is set to secure a world title shot in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on September 12, but who is likely to offer the most favourable risk-to-reward ratio?
By its very nature, a world title opportunity is rarely straightforward, yet the four-belt era certainly lends itself to varying degrees of difficulty.
WBA titlist Jose Armando Resendiz, for instance, is considered by some to be the weakest world champion at 168lbs, with many predicting his downfall against Jaime Munguia on May 2.
Given the WBA title could soon belong to his stablemate, Canelo is therefore likely to target the remaining super-middleweight champions.
But who has the greatest chance at becoming his next dance partner?
We take a look at the three most viable options for him...
Osleys Iglesias
Despite his lack of exposure to a wider audience, Osleys Iglesias is arguably the most formidable champion at 168lbs.
The Cuban boasts an intimidating 15-0 (14 KOs) record and comfortably claimed his IBF title with an eighth-round finish over Pavel Silyagin earlier this month.
With destructive power and southpaw flair, the 28-year-old represents a nightmare style for any fighter, not least Canelo, who has typically struggled with lefties over the years.
Given his technical capabilities and physical advantages, it would therefore be wise for the Mexican to swerve Iglesias, who has reached his athletic prime while hardly even breaking a sweat in the professional code.
Hamzah Sheeraz
Unlike Iglesias, Hamzah Sheeraz is yet to become a world champion.
He has, however, been presented with a golden opportunity to do so on May 23, when he faces little-known customer Alem Begic on the undercard of Oleksandr Usyk vs Rico Verhoeven.
Should he defeat Begic for the vacant WBO title, as most expect him to, then Sheeraz could become an enticing option for Canelo.
Generally speaking, Alvarez has found considerable success against taller opponents, utilising his explosive movement to launch thunderous attacks at close quarters.
At this stage in his career, though, the 35-year-old is perhaps less capable of closing the gap against fighters like Sheeraz, who showed significant improvements while orchestrating a fourth-round finish over Edgar Berlanga last July.
The 26-year-old did, of course, make repeated mistakes in his previous outing against Carlos Adames, who adopts a similar style to Canelo, but one suspects that Sheeraz has amended such defensive frailties.
Christian Mbilli
Stylistically, Christian Mbilli represents a more desirable option for Canelo than both Iglesias and Sheeraz, who would likely have a greater chance at pre-empting the Mexican’s attacks.
Conversely, Mbilli is an all-out pressure fighter who typically overwhelms opponents with relentless aggression, relying mostly on volume and brute strength.
The WBC champion could therefore introduce Canelo to a physically demanding night’s work, but is unlikely to compete with the four-division world champion on a tactical level.
Because of this, Canelo may view the Frenchman as a physically superior but technically limited opponent, against whom he can apply a calculated gameplan and benefit from his greater boxing IQ and wealth of experience.
