If Canelo doesn’t fight David Benavidez, will he fight Christian Mbilli?

After Mexican star and current face of boxing Canelo Alvarez faces Edgar Berlanga, the big question that almost everyone expects for September 14 in Las Vegas will be: Who is next for Canelo? And at this point, that question is not particularly easy to answer.

We know that Canelo is not going to give us the fight we want and have wanted for so long: a fight against David Benavidez. So what will Canelo give us next? As many people have already pointed out, Canelo doesn't have too many obviously worthy opponents in the 168-pound division right now.

So Chris Eubank Jr. has a real chance to face Canelo next year, and that's pretty amazing. Forget that Eubank hasn't done anything to earn that chance. Speaking of a guy who has earned a chance against Alvarez, Christian Mbilli, ranked #1 in the super middleweight division by the WBC and Ring Magazine, is calling for the next challenge on Canelo.

We know that Canelo isn't too keen on keeping his belt collection. The 34-year-old recently surrendered his IBF belt because he had no interest in fighting the man at the top of the IBF rankings (namely William Scull).

But as Mbilli's promoter Camile Estephan told Ring.TV.com, “Who else but Mbilli?” Estephan said he firmly believes Mbilli, 28-0(23) and coming off a one-sided win over the extremely tough Sergey Derevyanchenko, can beat Canelo. “It's obvious he should fight Canelo,” Estephan said of Mbilli.

The 29-year-old Frenchman Mbilli believes so too. Estephan said if the fight were to take place in Canada, a huge arena would be required, but he doesn't think Canelo would agree to fight Mbilli in Canada – “[not] at least the first one – if we beat him, we'll give him revenge, and we'll do it here,” he said.

Not only is Mbilli a worthy opponent for Canelo, the Frenchman is a real fan favorite and a lot of fun to watch. Throwing so many punches that his opponent feels like he's caught in a blizzard, Mbilli has also shown a chin, great stamina and a certain hunger and will.

Benavidez will not be the next opponent for Canelo, Eubank Jr. certainly shouldn't be, so who else could it be but Mbilli? Diego Pacheco has been mentioned and the undefeated challenger is calling for a challenge on Canelo. But Mbilli is certainly the best and most obvious next challenger for Canelo.

Alvarez has faced a lot of criticism from fans who firmly believe he flat-out dodged Benavidez. If the drumbeat for a fight with Mbilli continues, given that Mbilli remains undefeated and never stops challenging Canelo, the Mexican warrior will surely not disappoint fans again…or will he?