the 168-pound division after Canelo

The super middleweight division is entering a new era with four champions and several contenders battling for supremacy.

The Future of the 168-pound Division, and Who Can Take on the Champions?

For nearly five years, there was only one name in the super middleweight division: Saul Alvarez. Unfortunately, that era came to an end in September 2025 when Terence Crawford handed him a clear points loss. Terence Crawford then claimed the title, and Saul Alvarez took a break for the time being, leaving the division somewhat fragmented.

Four New Faces

Instead of a single champion, there are now four different titleholders: Christian Mbilli, Hamzah Sheeraz, Osleys Iglesias, and Jaime Munguía. All four were relatively unknown outside the scene, but that’s changed now.

Saul Alvarez, however, hasn’t completely disappeared yet. His hiatus is coming to an end, and on October 31, he’ll get another shot at the WBC title when he faces Christian Mbilli. Christian Mbilli, though, doesn’t seem particularly impressed by the big name. He’s going into this fight with a lot of confidence and has no intention of holding back.

There’s one more thing to note. The longtime top contender David Benavidez has left the division and is moving up to light heavyweight. He already holds a unified title there, so the rivalry between him and Saul Alvarez is now a thing of the past.

Who can take over?

One thing is for sure: Hamzah Sheeraz seems the most hungry. He’s undefeated, confident, and is already calling for unification bouts. He’ll also be there live when Saul Alvarez faces Christian Mbilli. Christian Mbilli is the kind of fighter nobody really wants to face. He applies constant pressure and is always going for the knockout. So it’s going to be an exciting matchup that will reveal a lot about the future of the division.

Further down the ranks are Diego Pacheco and Osleys Iglesias, who, with his IBF belt, would certainly have a claim to a unification bout as well.

So it’s a pretty complicated division right now. There are many dream matchups for the fans, and four different titleholders. That said, it’s worth noting that it might not be such a bad thing that the division is no longer dependent on just one man.