The 4 Best Opponents for Canelo Alvarez After Loss vs. Terence Crawford

A funny thing happened on the way to the coronation.

Canelo Alvarez's climb to the upper stratosphere of boxing significance took an unplanned detour on Saturday night when he was outworked, out-skilled and ultimately outpointed by super middleweight insurgent Terence Crawford in their much-hyped showdown at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

The loss, just his third in 68 fights, cost the 35-year-old Mexican his four-belt stash at 168 pounds and left his next move in question as he enters the final two guaranteed fights on his lucrative deal with Saudi promoter Turki Al-Sheikh.

Fortunately, we B/R combat team members are helpful types, so we strode into the competitive abyss to come up with four options framed by who it could be and probably will be, along with who we wish it would be and the choice that would challenge the viability of the modern internet.

Take a look at what we came up with and drop a thought in the app comments.

Who It Could Be: Diego Pacheco

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Now that Alvarez finds himself in an unexpected career-rebuilding mode, he's got a plethora of options with which to get started.

Much will have to do with Crawford and whether he chooses to move down to middleweight or hang up the gloves entirely, both of which would give the ex-champ a quick chance to regain belted status.

Toward that end, Diego Pacheco was ranked third by the WBO entering the weekend, so it's no stretch to think he'd be in a short line to get a shot at a vacated title alongside Alvarez, perhaps as a Cinco de Mayo duel pitting a Mexican against a Mexican-American.

The 24-year-old has already gone to great lengths to get his elder's attention—or at least the attention of those around him—by both suggesting that Alvarez's "time is ticking" and throwing shade at his training team after multiple failed drug tests.

"Who knows what they got going on down there?" he told Fight Hub TV. "That's a little suspicious. But who am I to say what they're doing? I'm focused on me."

Who It Probably Will Be: Terence Crawford

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We're already on record suggesting Crawford take his new belts and the tidal wave of appreciation he's gotten for Saturday's win and ride off into a Nebraska sunset with his cash, his health, and his reputation intact.

But we're not so silly to think it's a lock to happen.

And if it doesn't, there's no option out there for Alvarez that'll be any more lucrative than dialing up his recent rival and suggesting they make it a double.

The Saturday fight drew a flood of celebrities amid a crowd of 70,000-plus, and its placement on streaming giant Netflix made it one of the most-watched boxing matches in the last 50 years.

Whether Alvarez can overcome the skill gap that allowed Crawford to win eight rounds on one scorecard and seven on two others is a big question, but there's little doubt that a guy as competitive as he is will be up for the competitive challenge.

Who We Wish It Would Be: Christian Mbilli

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Maybe it'd be for a vacant title. Or maybe it'd just be an interesting fight.

Either way, Cameroonian whirlwind Christian Mbilli makes a good candidate.

His spirited draw with Lester Martinez on Saturday's show might be deemed a competitive roadblock to an Alvarez fight, but the reality that Mbilli both held onto the WBC's "interim" title and had already been championed by Al-Sheikh as a would-be Alvarez challenger go a long way toward keeping him in the mix.

And his perpetual motion, perpetual aggression style? That's a plus, too.

"Mbilli is like a 168-pound Joe Frazier," Randy Gordon, former chairman of the New York State Athletic Commission, told Bleacher Report. "Love him. Fights with every ounce of his being."

He entered the weekend as the No. 1 contender to the Ring Magazine championship, and, if Crawford exits stage left, would presumably remain viable for Alvarez's big-stage return.

And even if "Bud" sticks around, it'll still be a lot of fun to watch Alvarez and Mbilli get together to determine who gets Crawford next.

"I've already been calling out for Canelo and all the big names for the last few years now," Mbilli said during fight week. "I don't want to sound arrogant about it, or make it look like I want a payday, because I just want to prove that I'm the best. And right now, Canelo is the best, so that's why."

What Would Break the Internet: Jake Paul

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It's a spot reserved, almost regardless of opponent, for Jake Paul.

The social media rabble-rouser has long made Alvarez the prime target of his "I want to be a real fighter" campaign and the two seemed close to competitive blows last year, before the Mexican pulled the plug in favor of the lucrative Riyadh Season pact that led to Saturday's big show.

Now that Canelo is again between titles, perhaps it's time to settle the score.

Predictably, Paul was among the first to throw stones at the now-deposed champ in the aftermath of Saturday's fight, taking to social media to label him both a "dumba-s lying weirdo" and "overrated" in the same 1:45 a.m. rant early Sunday.

The "Problem Child" has business to handle in the form of 135-pound champ Gervonta Davis later this fall in Atlanta. But, presuming Paul survives an exhibition with a foe who's half a foot shorter and with an eight-inch deficit in reach, he's certain to at least make mention of Alvarez before the cameras go off.

For what it's worth, Paul's older brother Logan, who was in house for the Crawford-Alvarez fight, went public with his pick eight minutes after his sibling's tweet.

"Jake Paul beats Canelo," he said.