The boxing landscape has changed significantly since the marquee fight between Terence Crawford and Canelo Alvarez took place a year ago at the Allegiant Stadium. As the sport inches closer to the first anniversary of one of the biggest fights of the modern era, it wakes up to a new terrain where one of the central figures of that story is no longer fighting. With Crawford announcing his retirement three months after becoming the undisputed champion at super middleweight, the attention has now shifted to Canelo Alvarez.

The former world champion is scheduled to make a comeback by the end of October. Yet, he revealed at Ariel Helwani’s studio that a shot at Christian M’billi’s WBC title might be among the last few fights of his stellar career. While many would expect him to become a promoter after retirement, his latest update will be disappointing. 

“No, I don’t think so,” Alvarez rejected the idea of becoming a promoter. “With everything happening with promoters right now and all that stuff, I don’t want to be involved in that kind of stuff. I don’t really—it’s not really my goal to be involved in a promotion, be a promoter or something, or be fighting with all the promoters. I don’t want to be involved.”

He had announced his promotion in January, and now, just six months later, he has come forth to share that he doesn’t intend to be a promoter. 

Alvarez’s reluctance to become a promoter comes at a time when boxing is undergoing a major shift. The entry of Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing has already had a ripple effect on the sport. It is witnessing a string of fighters joining the new promotion and seemingly closing ranks, as most, if not all, promoters now have a broadcast deal with DAZN.

The changing landscape may have also influenced Alvarez’s position. Early in January, reports emerged that Turki Alalshikh, whom White met at the New York Ring Awards and who also has a partnership stake in Zuffa, announced that the former champion would face M’billi in September.

Adding to the intrigue, the bout billed as “Mexico against The World” appeared set to serve as the debut event for Canelo Promotions under the former undisputed champion’s banner.

While records still show that the M’billi title fight will be promoted by Canelo Alvarez’s promotional company alongside Eye of The Tiger Management under the auspices of the Riyadh Season, the development has done little to ease the skepticism surrounding the promotional landscape as boxing has increasingly been divided by the ongoing feud between promoters.

But things don’t stop here. Alvarez also confirmed that his boxing career was coming to an end.

“I love boxing, but (there) is nothing out there for me to prove because I did everything,” he told Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show. “I accomplished pretty much everything in boxing. I still enjoy it, but it’s maybe three or four more fights for me. I have other goals out of boxing.”

Against that backdrop, Alvarez’s comments about having three or four fights could be reassuring for his most loyal fans.

The question now is what comes next. Will Canelo Alvarez finally answer the long-pending demand to face David Benavidez? Will he pursue a rematch with Dmitry Bivol? Or will he simply continue defending his championship for as long as he remains at the top?

For now, he is expected to get past M’billi. But if Alvarez’s own words are any indication, the fight could mark the beginning of the final chapter of one of boxing’s most accomplished careers.