The next Canelo? Mexico’s new generation of fighters is ready to replace Saul Alvarez

No one fighter can replace Saul Alvarez in boxing right now.

Canelo has ruled over the boxing world for years, has won world championships in four different weight classes and defeated Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan, Daniel Jacobs, Gennadiy Golovkin, Sergey Kovalev and Caleb Plant, among others.

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Though he never reached the mainstream highs of the Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao era, the period in which Canelo has reigned has shown he’s a worthy successor because of how important he is as a figure to both boxing and Mexican culture. His fights have often carried the sport, and his business efforts show hints of an individual who could become bigger, still, than what he achieved as a sportsman.

You always knew what you were getting at a marquee Canelo event before this latest chapter, and that’s mariachi bands, a ring walk accompanied by Santa Fe Klan and the fighter’s favorite swear words in delightful English, like “dumb b****.” Even people who don’t speak Spanish know what “Viva Mexico, cabrones!” means — and that’s all thanks to Canelo. Cinco de Mayo fight nights were often a carnival, with high-rollers from Mexico dominating Las Vegas — and in recent years, that’s all because of one man.

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Alvarez, 34, has flown the Mexican flag with pride, but his time at the top is fast coming to a close. He hasn’t scored a win by knockout since his brutal dominance of Plant four years ago, and his former Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn suggested the fighter could retire as early as this year.

Alvarez’s exit would be a loss, no doubt. But it would by no means lead to a dilution of Mexican excellence in boxing, because the country has a generation of fighters who, combined, can offset the loss that a king’s retirement could otherwise cause.

Emanuel Navarrete: Three-weight world champion

Emanuel Navarrete, a fighter who has competed in five weight classes and won world championships in three of those, cannot help but get embroiled in classic, blood-soaked fights. He survives knockdowns and gnarly cuts to grind out thumping wins with his awkward combat style.

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In his past five fights he’s beaten Oscar Valdez in a brutal beatdown by decision, shared a draw with Robson Conceicao, lost to Denys Berinchyk and rebounded with a sixth-round knockout win in his rematch with Valdez. Earlier this month, he stopped Charly Suarez in the eighth round of a super featherweight bout.

If that weren’t enough to develop a cult following among fight fans, you just need to look at what people wear to events that “Vaquero” (Cowboy) headlines, as those who attend often wear sombreros and Stetsons. His fan base is growing with every fight.

Navarrete could box fellow Top Rank fighter O’Shaquie Foster in the future, but has also expressed interest in a return to lightweight so he can try to capture a world championship in a fourth weight class, joining the likes of legendary Mexicans like Erik Morales, Jorge Arce, Juan Manuel Marquez, Mikey Garcia, Leo Santa Cruz and, of course, Canelo himself.

Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez: Two-weight world champion

A Golden Boy Promotions fighter, Gilberto Ramirez is beginning to come into his own after rebounding from a decision loss to Dmitry Bivol by defeating Joe Smith Jr., Arsen Goulamirian and Chris Billam-Smith in the past 18 months.

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Ramirez, a solid southpaw, has fought from light heavyweight to cruiserweight but does not appear as powerful at 200 pounds as he did below it. Though he’s not as accomplished as others on this list, and perhaps does not have as high of a ceiling as some younger Mexican fighters, he could be thrust into one of the highest-profile fights of all, should he defeat Yuniel Dorticos on June 28 on the same card as Jake Paul’s return to the ring against Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

Paul has long gunned for a world championship shot in boxing. If he beats Chavez, a world title match involving the internet sensation and Ramirez is probable considering the ongoing partnership between Most Valuable Promotions and Golden Boy. It’s a show that could even air on Netflix, trumping the attention Canelo generated for his recent snoozefest against William Scull in Riyadh.

Rafael Espinoza: Featherweight world champion

A rising star at Top Rank, Rafael Espinoza has set the sport of boxing ablaze since debuting in the U.S. in 2023 after spending the bulk of his career competing in Mexico. His first fight in the States, against Robeisy Ramirez, contained a Round of the Year contender during a firefight in which he won the WBO featherweight world championship — a belt he’s retained with subsequent stoppage wins over Sergio Chirino, Ramirez in a rematch and Edward Vazquez.

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Espinoza is must-see television, not just for his aggressive and powerful volume-punching, but also because he’ll belt out Mexican ballads while standing tall over his knockout victims like a Latino Tyson Fury.

Should the 31-year-old stay at the 126-pound division, then box-office bouts against the likes of Angelo Leo or Stephen Fulton could await, and he’ll be enticed to keep adding to his legacy at featherweight. If Naoya Inoue, Uncrowned’s No. 2 pound-for-pound fighter, ever moves up, Espinoza could be the one to welcome him to the division. “My dream is to become a pound-for-pound fighter,” he previously told Uncrowned. “And I think a fight with [Inoue] will put me there. And when that day comes, I will win.”

On his growing fame in the fight game, he also said: “Julio Cesar Chavez and Marco Antonio Barrera called me, and it filled me with pride now that they call me a champion. They said that I have heart, and not many boxers have that. I’m happy about that.”

Isaac Cruz: Former lightweight champion

Already one of the most popular Mexican prizefighters on this list, Isaac Cruz brings “Pitbull-mania” to each and every one of his can’t-miss fights because he’s an all-action throwback brawler who hooks to the body and has a solid chin.

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Though Cruz lost to Gervonta Davis in 2021, he is one of the few people to have been able to stand up to Davis’ power and last the full 12 rounds. Since that fight, he’s finished Yuriorkis Gamboa, stopped Rolando Romero in the eighth round of a fight that has aged well considering Romero’s recent win over Ryan Garcia, and, most recently, came out on top of a feral Fight of the Year contender against Angel Fierro in February.

Considering the widespread acclaim Cruz and Fierro received for their first fight, a rematch appears likely — and it could even land on the undercard of Manny Pacquiao’s return to the ring against Mario Barrios. Should Cruz keep winning, he could score a second fight against Romero, or even a big-money “Tank” Davis rematch.

William Zepeda: Lightweight contender

William Zepeda has yet to win a proper world championship, but he has his shot in his next outing as he takes on Shakur Stevenson for the full WBC lightweight title July 12 at Louis Armstrong Stadium — a 14,000-seat arena in New York typically associated with tennis, more specifically the U.S. Open.

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Stevenson is a -1450 favorite by at BetMGM, but Zepeda’s representatives at Golden Boy Promotions have been touting their fighters chances in the fight for almost two years. Speaking to Uncrowned, former five-weight world champion and Golden Boy founder Oscar De La Hoya confidently said: “If anyone can give Shakur trouble, it’s William Zepeda.” He added at another recent event: “We have a future superstar on our hands in ‘El Camarón’ (The Shrimp). I literally think Zepeda is one of the most exciting fighters in boxing today.”

Win or lose, Zepeda has eyed options beyond Stevenson, including an all-Mexican clash against Cruz to determine the No. 1 fighter from their country at 135 pounds. “Pitbull can’t say that he’s better than me,” he said recently. “I can’t say I’m better than Pitbull. The only way we can determine that is when we’re in the ring in the middle, facing each other.”

Zepeda also likes a fight against Vasiliy Lomachenko, should the two-time Olympic gold medalist ever return to the ring for one more fight. “He’s known to be an idol, and it’s a dream of mine to get in the ring and fight an idol,” Zepeda said, “[because] I want to become an idol myself.”

Marco Verde: A highly touted one-fight prospect

Outside of the pro fighters who are already champions, or en route to becoming one, Mexico also has a red-hot prospect who already has the respect of one of the nation’s veteran boxers.

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“In Mexico, there’s a lot of tough fighters,” 34-year-old former two-weight world champ Oscar Valdez told Uncrowned last year. “But there’s a silver medalist from the Olympic Games called Marco Verde” who fans should keep an eye on, he said.

There is even a Canelo link here as Alvarez’s longtime coach and manager Eddy Reynoso has advised the novice boxer. To date, it’s been a fruitful partnership as, just months from making his successful pro debut on Alvarez’s undercard for the Scull fight, Verde returns to the ring July 12 in Sinaloa, Mexico.

For Valdez, it is Verde who has the greatest chance to take the baton from Canelo and carry “the flag for Mexico” going forward, he said.