'Canelo' Alvarez fights to stay on top as new stars rise and Saudi Arabia enters US market

Any debate as to boxing’s biggest attraction has been a short one for around a decade now, ended swiftly by a single word: 'Canelo'.

The Mexican, Saul Alvarez, known universally by his nickname, has been the one fighter able to consistently pack arenas and sell pay-per-views, especially in the key US and South American markets.

He claimed the throne in 2015 in the immediate aftermath of Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao serving up a turkey in what was this century’s biggest fight, and the most lucrative ever.

As the stench from that anti-climax lingered, just seven days later Alvarez went out and destroyed James Kirkland in three exhilarating rounds and has never looked back.

Yet, while he prepares to face Jaime Munguia in Las Vegas on Saturday for his annual Cinco de Mayo spectacular, the 33-year-old’s grip at the top might just be loosening a little as he heads into the home stretch of his historic career.

There are several factors at play, with the emergence of new stars in the US market, the growing influence of Saudi Arabia and, perhaps most pertinently, his risk-averse approach to selecting opponents chief among them.

The prelude to Alvarez's return to the ring has served to highlight all three of these trends.

There hasn’t exactly been much hype ahead of his all-Mexican showdown with Munguia, with boxing fans still basking in the afterglow of Ryan Garcia’s spectacular upset victory over Devin Haney.

Garcia, 25, a Mexican-American and former stablemate of Alvarez, surged to the brink of crossover stardom in the US as he dropped the heavily-favoured Haney three times on his way to a decision in New York on April 20.

That result provided a signature win for Garcia, whose marketability is exemplified by a sprawling