Team Crawford Wants Canelo Next: Martinez Eyes the Winner in Riyadh

Canelo Alvarez hasn't even signed for his next fight and there's already a line forming behind it. The 36-year-old Mexican, now 63-2-2 (39 KO), meets WBC super-middleweight champion Christian Mbilli on October 31 in Riyadh — and Team Crawford wants the survivor. Coach Brian 'BoMac' McIntyre says his unbeaten Guatemalan prospect Lester Martinez will be ringside, and BoMac didn't dress up the intent.

The framing is pointed. Crawford, 42-0 (31 KO), beat Canelo by unanimous decision last September to become a three-division undisputed champion, then announced his retirement in December. Martinez, per BoMac, still shares rounds with Crawford in the gym. The message: if Crawford already handled Canelo, and Martinez arguably deserved a win over Mbilli, then whoever comes out of Riyadh has unfinished business waiting.

That reference to Mbilli points back to a thrilling draw between the Frenchman and Martinez. Mbilli was later upgraded from interim to full WBC champion after Crawford stepped away, which is why he'll be making a first defence of the belt against Alvarez. Neither man has fought since September 2025, so both walk into this one cold — and for Canelo, at 36, the mileage is real.

BoMac's Pitch

Speaking to BoxingScene, McIntyre laid out the plan in blunt terms: handle business first, then collect the winner. He said Martinez believes he beat Mbilli, that his partner Crawford beat Canelo, and that he intends to 'clean up' both and finish what Crawford started. It's trash talk with a coherent through-line, which is more than most of it manages.

There's a catch, though. Martinez has his own night to worry about before he books a table in Riyadh. He defends his interim WBC title against the unbeaten Luka Plantic on August 29 at the USC Galen Center in Los Angeles. Lose that, and the ringside seat becomes a lot less menacing.

For Canelo, the stakes are simpler and steeper. He's coming off the first decision loss of his prime, staring at a champion he's never shared a ring with, and being openly measured up as a stepping stone by a fighter he's never met. Win in Riyadh and the noise fades. Lose, and the clock BoMac keeps pointing at starts ticking a lot louder.