Canelo Alvarez is set to fight Jermall Charlo this Saturday, September 30, in Las Vegas, Nevada

Many expected Canelo Álvarez to face Dmitry Bivol after defeating John Ryder last May. Still, if that possibility looked like a potential summer soap opera, it has become an illusion.

Álvarez won’t fight the undefeated Russian, at least not shortly, as he will enter the ring against Jermall Charlo instead.

Earlier this year, the candidate with the most chances of fighting the Guadalajara boxer seemed to be Badou Jack, especially after Canelo’s unimpressive performance against Ryder at Estadio Akron last time out.

Jack’s best days in boxing are well past him at 39, and the Saudis offered Canelo a lot of money to fight him. Still, the Swedish fighter rejected Canelo’s condition to come down from the 200 lbs limit to 180 lbs with a rehydration clause.

Charlo, the first rival of a three-fight deal

Canelo has signed a three-fight deal with Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) and will face Charlo in a fight where his four super middleweight belts will be on the line on September 30th.

Although Jermall has been inactive for the last two years, he’s still in his prime and hasn’t lost a fight. Considering that Canelo has struggled more than expected in his most recent victories, Charlo could have a real shot at the titles, which would be a huge step back for Álvarez, and PBC might lose lots of money.

Although it’s still unknown who Canelo will face in the remaining two fights of the deal, two names would probably translate into a big success from an economic standpoint.

One of them could be Errol Spence. The welterweight champion, though, would first need to defeat Terence Crawford, who holds the WBO belt, to make that bout possible.

The other fighter could be David Benavidez Jr., who has been looking for a fight against Canelo for a long time, or David Morrell Jr.