Is Canelo era over? New Champions Might Be Too Much 😳🔥
Is Canelo era over? Something feels different this time. Canelo Alvarez still brings the crowd, but the fear around him is starting to fade. And now, a new question is growing louder. Can he still handle what’s waiting at 168?
Paulie Malignaggi thinks Is Canelo era over? can he still headline big fights. That part hasn’t changed. But he says the division has moved on, and the fighters at the top now are younger, stronger, and built for war.
As Canelo eyes a return this September, he says he wants a champion. But that’s where things get tricky. The champions today are not the same ones he dominated years ago. Is Canelo era over?
Malignaggi pointed to names like Christian Mbilli, Jose Armando Resendiz, and Hamzah Sheeraz. These fighters bring speed, power, and something even more dangerous. Endless energy.
He warned that none of these fights would be easy, especially after a long layoff. Even someone like Resendiz could become a serious problem. Not because of fame, but because of pressure and pace.
And that’s where the doubt starts to creep in.
Think back to 2018, when Canelo faced Gennadiy Golovkin in their rematch. He looked sharp, confident, and full of answers. Now compare that to last September, when he faced Terence Crawford and seemed stuck, searching, almost out of ideas.
That shift didn’t go unnoticed.
The division itself has changed too. While Canelo stepped away for elbow surgery and took that loss, a new wave took over. Fighters like Osleys Iglesias, Mbilli, and Resendiz now hold belts and control the pace.
These are natural super middleweights. They don’t slow down. They don’t wait. And they don’t fight at Canelo’s rhythm.
At 35, and coming off surgery, Canelo’s style has become more careful. He picks shots, loads up power, and waits for moments. But against fighters with nonstop engines, that approach can fall apart fast.
The Crawford fight may have been the wake-up call. This is no longer a chess match. It’s a storm.
If Canelo steps back in on September 12 in Saudi Arabia, he won’t just be fighting a champion. He’ll be stepping into a completely different kind of battle.
And when you look closer, his recent run tells a story too.
After the second Golovkin fight, his path looked smart. Wins over Avni Yildirim, Billy Joe Saunders, and Caleb Plant helped him collect belts and build legacy. But none of them truly pushed him to the edge.
Even fights with Edgar Berlanga and Jaime Munguia felt more like controlled performances than real danger.
But the moment he stepped outside that comfort zone, things changed.
Against Dmitry Bivol and Crawford, he lost.
Now the pressure is building again.
September is coming. The division is different. And this time, there may be no easy way out.