CANELO Alvarez arrived in Saudi Arabia's capital city Riyadh last week ahead of his quest to again become undisputed super-middleweight world champion when facing IBF titleholder William Scull on May 3.

Two-and-a-half weeks before fight night, the 34-year-old Mexican superstar (62-2-2, 39 KOs) was seen sharing a funny exchange with Turki Alalshikh, the Riyadh Season head and owner of The Ring.

The first comment underneath a post on Instagram is by WBO/IBF middleweight world titlist Janibek Alimkhanuly (17-0, 12 KOs), simply posing the question: when [is] Janibek vs. Canelo?

Subsequent fan responses, though, are predictable. When you stop brushing your record. You're a top fighter but beggy too much. Go fight Adames or Lara fist. Stop fighting s--- cans. You get the idea.

Having just made another unified title defence with a fourth consecutive stoppage win, this time blasting beyond then 14-0 contender Anauel Ngamissengue with a fifth-round finish in the Kazakh capital of Astana on April 5, the 32-year-old wants tougher challenges.

He told The Ring last month that, aside from making another coaching change to join Marco Contreras, a super-middleweight move remains in the offing and he'd like to be more active - something that is ultimately out of his control.

WBC titleholder Carlos Adames (24-1-1, 18 KOs) has been ordered to face Janibek's compatriot Meirim Nursultanov (20-0, 11 KOs), with purse bids set for May 6 if no agreement is reached between both parties before then.

WBA champion Erislandy Lara (31-3-3, 19 KOs) hasn't boxed since forcing Danny Garcia to surrender after nine completed rounds in his latest title defence last September. He turned 42 last weekend and while there's no new update on a return timeline, the Cuban's trainer Bob Santos rejected any notion of retirement.

Speaking to Abel Sanchez as he prepares to corner another of Janibek's compatriots in junior-middleweight contender Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0, 13 KOs) this weekend, the highly-regarded trainer revealed his desire to see Canelo fight another Kazakh after his illustrious three-fight series with Gennadiy Golovkin.

Akhmedov, who faces Elias Espadas (23-6, 16 KOs) in the main event of 360 Promotions' UFC Fight Pass card, relocated his training base to California.

There, the 27-year-old rising contender was urged to seek out Sanchez by Golovkin, who enjoyed a historic nine-year partnership before financial disagreements saw them split and sour the relationship in 2019.

"Janibek is a big enough guy that 168-pounds wouldn't be bad for him, there's a lot of good fights in the division," Sanchez told The Ring.

"If he cleans out 160, as Gennadiy did, it's a good move for him to make. I'd love to see him face Canelo, it'd mean he's boxed two Kazakhs and that would be a great thing! Janibek has the frame for the weight, so yeah, I'd love to see that fight."

Canelo's 2025 schedule already appears set in stone, injuries permitting, with a Terence Crawford megafight in September if successful against Scull (23-0, 9 KOs).

Having inked a four-fight Riyadh Season deal, the third is slated for February 2026 with several options including a Dmitry Bivol rematch and Chris Eubank Jr, who faces Conor Benn this weekend in the first of a two-fight agreement.

Alalshikh has already confirmed the winner of their grudge match, headlining Ring Magazine's five-fight show at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, will be in line to face Canelo next year.