That fight will take place around the time of Mexican Independence Day, a customary fighting date for Alvarez alongside Cinco de Mayo. Alvarez is missing out on fighting around the time of Cinco de Mayo this year as he recovers from left elbow surgery.

But if Alvarez is all systems go for May 2027, one of the strongest candidates to get a call could be the current WBA champion, Armando Resendiz. And even more so if Resendiz (16-2, 11 KOs) beats Alvarez’s former rival-turned-teammate in the Eddy Reynoso-coached Jaime Munguia (45-2, 35 KOs) on the David Benavidez-Gilberto Ramirez undercard Saturday night at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

“If I beat Munguia, I’ll be one step closer to achieving a potential fight against Canelo,” Resendiz told The Ring following a recent training session. “It may be inevitable at that point. I’m looking to position myself for whatever may come next, but time will tell.”

Before he can even be considered for a crack at Alvarez, Resendiz must overcome a highly motivated Munguia. Resendiz appeared ripped and ready for the challenge while hitting pads held by head coach Manny Robles.

“We can only hope that Canelo would want to fight him after he beats Munguia. It can be the perfect Cinco de Mayo fight for next year,” Robles told The Ring. “We will be here. I don’t see why Canelo would go back up to 175 pounds. I believe he and his team understand that light heavyweight is not his weight class, especially at this stage of his career. We have to get through Munguia, and the fights will just keep getting bigger and bigger.”

Resendiz’s stock is at an all-time high after scoring The Ring’s “Upset of the Year” for 2025 – a split-decision win against Caleb Plant to win the WBA interim title May 31 in Las Vegas.

The sanctioning body elevated Resendiz as its full champion once undisputed champ Terence Crawford retired. Resendiz will defend his crown for the first time since he upset Plant. His performance against Plant was an unexpected one from Resendiz, who was coming off a February tune-up win in Mexico following an eighth-round stoppage loss to the since-faded Elijah Garcia in September 2023.

“It’s going to be a tough fight against Munguia,” Robles said. “Resendiez learned a great deal from the Plant fight, and it just took him to another level. We’re going to prove on May 2 how much better he’s gotten. There is always a possibility for the knockout. We’ll be prepared to fight 12 rounds. Resendiz is ready, he’s hungry, disciplined and prepared. He doesn’t have a lot of wear and tear on his body. He’s still maturing and learning.

“The boxing fans are going to be the winners. Mexican fans should be super excited. You don’t even need a belt to get fans excited for a fight like this. You never know, it could be so good that we may see a rematch because it’s a hell of a fight. But we won’t know until we fight.”

Munguia is certainly equipped to spoil all kinds of plans for Resendiz, and oddsmakers believe he’ll be the victor. Munguia is listed as a -215 betting favorite, while Resendiz is a +170 underdog. But as Resendiz proved against Plant as a +1100 underdog, he’s ready to pull off another upset win and be better suited for even bigger business against Alvarez.

“There are so many names out there that can be a next face of Mexican boxing, but all I can guarantee is that every time I go out there and fight, the fans will leave happy,” Resendiz said. “Whatever comes my way, whether it’s Canelo or someone else, I'm sure it will be great.”

Resendiz-Munguia is the co-feature of a pay-per-view card Amazon’s Prime Video, DAZN and numerous cable and satellite providers will offer in the United States ($79.99). It is included for subscribers to DAZN’s Ultimate plan ($44.99 per month).

Manouk Akopyan is The Ring’s lead writer. Follow him on X and Instagram: @ManoukAkopyan.