Canelo Alvarez has been a dominant force in the super-middleweight division for a number of years but his era could be set to come to an end, especially as a new fighter has announced his move to the 168lb scene.
Canelo dethroned Rocky Fielding to get his hands on the WBA super-middleweight world title back in 2018, but it was in 2020 and 2021 where he proved his quality, fighting four times in 11 months to become the undisputed king.
The Mexican superstar defended the undisputed throne on four occasions before dropping the IBF world title and then winning it back against William Scull, but he lost all of his belts when he lost at super-middleweight for the first time, against Terence Crawford in September.
Canelo is sidelined with an injury until September, but the 35-year-old is expected to jump straight back into a world title challenge upon his return, with Christian Mbilli’s WBC world title being the expected target, following Crawford’s retirement.
However, WBC middleweight ruler Carlos ‘Bronco’ Adames has announced via X that he is moving up to the super-middleweight division, making him a new threat to Alvarez’s plans of re-establishing himself as the man to beat at 168lbs.
“I make 160 very easily, but I’ll make 168 shake even more. Here I come!”
“Tell 168 that the Bronco Horse has arrived. There were many names that ran from 160 and moved up in weight, but now I’m going to catch up with them.”
“No one beats me at 160 or 168.”
Due to his position as WBC world champion at 160lbs – recently defended with a win over Austin ‘Ammo’ Williams – Adames is expected to be well-ranked with the sanctioning body upon arrival to the new weight division, with Mbilli expected to be the man that he will pursue.
Although, it is unlikely that Adames will earn a title shot before Canelo, who is rated as the number one contender, unless Mbilli selects him for a voluntary defence of the belt, prior to Alvarez’s return.
The 31-year-old from the Dominican Republic could also target Hamzah Sheeraz for a rematch following their controversial 2025 draw, where many felt Adames deserved the nod. Sheeraz is poised to fight for the vacant WBO belt next.
