Canelo Álvarez and Terence Crawford need each other if they do not want to face top opponents in their respective divisions

The unusually long embrace between Saul “Canelo” Álvarez and Edgar Berlanga as soon as the final bell rang on Saturday night was a sign that the brave Berlanga had earned Álvarez’s respect during a 12-round fight that initially looked like it would end much sooner.

Álvarez delivered a flush left hook to Berlanga that dropped the huge underdog to the floor less than a minute into the third round. Brooklyn's Berlanga slammed his gloves together in frustration, fought out of the situation and stayed on his feet throughout the fight. BetMGM listed Álvarez as a 16-1 favorite.

Mexican Álvarez admitted in his post-fight interview with Jim Gray that Berlanga “did well.” However, the unified super middleweight champion unofficially landed 49 percent of his power punches and won by a wide margin on the scorecards of judges Max De Luca (118-109), David Sutherland (117-110) and Steve Weisfeld (118-109).

That lopsided loss was a victory for Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs), who was largely dismissed as an inferior opponent who hadn't really earned his shot at Álvarez's belt. Álvarez, on the other hand, held out to the end for his fifth straight fight.

The Guadalajara native hasn't scored a knockout since stopping Caleb Plant in the 11th round of their championship unification fight in November 2021. The 34-year-old legend's loyal fans definitely didn't seem to mind as they packed the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for another Álvarez celebration two days before Mexican Independence Day.

With that one-sided show now behind him, the focus on Saturday night quickly turned to what's next for Álvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs). He may not be back in the ring until May 3, but the biggest boxing star in the United States did not say in his interview with Gray whether he will fight before then, nor did he mention any potential opponents for his next fight.

The 168-pound boxing king could continue to face younger, undefeated super middleweight challengers even if he continues to avoid David Benavidez – the undefeated, two-time former WBC super middleweight champion and long-time WBC No. 1 contender who moved up to light heavyweight for his last fight because he couldn't secure a chance against Álvarez.

Christian Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs), a native of Cameroon who lives and trains in Montreal, is ranked No. 1 by the WBC. Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs) of Los Angeles is the WBO's No. 1 challenger in the 168-pound division.

Neither Mbilli nor Pacheco are considered capable enough to beat Álvarez, but the relentless Mbilli's action-packed style would likely result in a fight that fans would like, no matter how long it takes.

Álvarez could also seek a rematch against Dmitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) if the WBA light heavyweight champion defeats IBF/WBC/WBO champion Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) in their highly anticipated 175-pound title unification fight on October 12 at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Russia's Bivol convincingly defeated Alvarez in their 12-round fight for Bivol's belt in May 2022 at the T-Mobile Arena, but Alvarez and his advisers believe Bivol overpriced himself in negotiations for a rematch that never materialized.

A win over Beterbiev would obviously increase fan interest in a Bivol-Álvarez rematch. Bivol has repeatedly stated that he would move up from light heavyweight to super middleweight to prove that his weight was not the main reason he defeated Álvarez 28 months ago, winning by unanimous decision.

Of course, Álvarez could secure a far bigger payday than he would get for any of the previously mentioned fights if he were to enter into a situation with Terence Crawford that the icon sees as a lost cause.

Like Álvarez, Crawford is a world champion in four weight classes and has long been one of the top five pound-for-pound fighters. However, Crawford would have to move up two weight classes to challenge Álvarez for his super middleweight title.

Álvarez claims he wouldn't get the recognition he feels is due for defeating a talent like Crawford, who is just a generation old, as Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) has only fought above the welterweight maximum of 147 pounds once. Crawford's cautious strategy against Uzbekistan's Israil Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) in his 154-pound debut – a 12-round unanimous decision win on August 3 in Los Angeles – suggested that jumping up two more divisions might be too much to ask for the WBA super welterweight champion.

Crawford's significant size disadvantage and the criticism that comes with it are some of the reasons why Álvarez is expecting a nine-figure sum for an intriguing fight that has piqued the curiosity of most boxing fans.

Crawford may still be the most attractive option for Álvarez's next fight if he doesn't finally decide to face Benavidez. Although Crawford would be a clear underdog, Alvarez-Crawford would attract mainstream media attention and generate the revenue needed to consider it the biggest fight in boxing right now.

Álvarez's acrimonious relationship with Turki Alalshikh, who became the most influential figure in boxing over the past year, could prevent the Álvarez-Crawford fight from becoming a reality. Alalshikh, chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Entertainment Authority, attacked Alvarez on social media last month for his unwillingness to face Benavidez.

Regardless of their insults, enormous sums of money make many people forgive, if not forget, and Alalshikh has been on an unprecedented spending spree since late summer last year. Álvarez has already made more money during his celebrated career than his children could spend, but as he proved on Saturday night, he is almost as much a shrewd businessman as he is a proud, fierce fighter.

If Álvarez was willing to endure, and in many ways ignore, the critical considerations that came with selecting an unworthy and unproven opponent like Berlanga, a similar principle should apply to fighting an undefeated, ambitious, smaller fighter who ranks high on numerous pound-for-pound lists and is an instant Hall of Fame inductee.

Frankly, Álvarez and Crawford are reliant on making the biggest fight possible between them if they don't face the opponents in their respective divisions that the paying public would most like to see them fight.

Unfortunately, much to the dismay of fans who want to see Crawford fight WBC interim super welterweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KOs) or IBF welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (32-0, 29 KOs, 1 NC), Crawford has stated that he is not interested in either of these exciting challenges. Crawford turns 37 on September 28th and knows that he too could exceed nine figures for a mega-fight against Álvarez, as Crawford is allied with Alalshikh.

Crawford could also settle for fights against less dangerous 154-pound champions than Ortiz, or even retire undefeated, but the Omaha, Nebraska native is instead determined to risk his “0” by taking on a heavier, stronger, elite-level opponent in Álvarez.

Crawford's critics have nevertheless criticized him for going for the money rather than size, even though he can't lose in what is widely considered a no-win situation. While Álvarez has made some odd statements about why he won't fight Benavidez, Crawford has made little apology for not wanting to face younger, hungrier and more real opponents.

Whatever the reasoning behind these decisions at the end of their careers, if they are not already facing the younger top opponents in their respective divisions, whom fans most want to see them fight, then they seem to be dependent on each other doing as much business as possible.