Canelo Alvarez has been subject to a new call-out from 160lbs world champion Janibek Alimkhanuly.
The Mexican superstar is set for a busy 2025 having signed a huge deal with Saudi boxing chief Turki Alalshikh.
It will first see him look to become undisputed champion at 168lbs again when he takes on IBF champion William Scull on May 3.
He will then step in the ring with fellow pound-for-pound superstar Terence Crawford in a September blockbuster providing he wins.
Alvarez will then have two more fights on his deal with Alalshikh, with opponents including Dmitry Bivol likely to be in the running.
But IBF and WBO middleweight king Alimkhanuly is open to stepping up to face Alvarez next.
He told Boxing Scene: “There are a lot of happenings at middleweight.
“Hamzah Sheeraz, [Erislandy] Lara and Carlos Adames. Those guys are good, but they are out of our range. They’re not in my capacities.
“I’m not looking for number twos. I’m trying to get number ones, like Canelo and the other guys.
“Since 160 is not a problem I can go up, but I can go back down.
“I see no problems in terms of the period and in terms of capacities. I have enough capacity.”
Alimkhanuly has often been described as the most avoided world champion in boxing, having struggled to get unification fights and big opportunities.
The Kazakh star has largely achieved it all at 160lbs and is looking for new challenges.
He will next defend his titles on home soil against Anauel Ngamissengue this weekend.
It is unclear if his hopes will help him secure a fight, particularly given Alvarez is one of boxing’s biggest commercial superstars.
The Mexican is inundated with regular call-outs but has already got his road map in stone for 2025.
His bout with Crawford will be career-defining, and a crucial moment in the career of Alvarez.
Several big money-spinning bouts will likely be in order for the 168lbs champion as opposed to opportunities against up and coming contenders.
Alvarez even came close to fighting YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul, a fight which he could revisit after his four contracted bouts.
And Paul believes he will have more chance of luring Alvarez into the first fight outside of the contracts.
He said: “He went with the money play versus the legacy play of doing one of the biggest fights ever.
“Now he’s fighting some random guy in Saudi. He snaked his fans and chose the money because they were threatening to pull his contract.
“The people over there don’t want to see me to be the biggest name in boxing.
“So, that’s the nature of the sport and the politics of the sport. At the end of the day, all of these rats want a bite of cheese.
“So, he’s going to come back around and want to fight me again when he realises his fights over there don’t have any hype behind them.”
