Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez has begun the search for his next opponent.

One option in play could lead to his becoming a two-time undisputed super middleweight champion.

The four-division and reigning RING/WBC/WBA/WBO 168-pound king has reached out to IBF titleholder William Scull. Preliminary talks have taken place, though more as a feeling out session as Guadalajara’s Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) makes the rounds for a May ring return.

Scull (23-0, 9 KOs) revealed during an interview on Puños Cubanos podcast that Alvarez’s team reached out to gauge interest in an undisputed showdown. It is claimed by The Ring’s No. 5 super middleweight contender that a follow-up meeting is planned for Jan. 10.

The Ring has learned, however, that Scull is one of several options in play, and not necessarily the first choice.

A lot will depend on which platform picks up Alvarez’s next fight. His last three have come on pay-per-views run by Premier Boxing Champions (PBC), whom he has repeatedly praised for their professionalism. It is believed that PBC will be involved in his next fight, though Alvarez is in full control of that decision.

Given that, an Alvarez-Scull PPV headliner could prove to be a tough sell, even as a full unification bout. A far more preferred choice is fellow four-division titlist and pound-for-pound entrant Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs), who has openly campaigned for the super fight.

Crawford is The Ring’s No. 3 pound-for-pound fighter, a former three-division Ring champion and current WBA 154-pound titleholder. Alvarez has held The Ring championships at 154-, 160- and 168 pounds and is currently No. 7 pound-for-pound.

The only appeal behind a Scull fight would be for Alvarez to reclaim the title that was stripped from him last year.

Alvarez fully unified the 168-pound division after a Nov. 2021 knockout win over then-unbeaten IBF titlist Caleb Plant (21-0 at the time). Alvarez claimed The Ring, WBC, WBA, WBO and IBF titles all in an eleven-month span to become the division’s first-ever undisputed champion.

His full reign remained intact until last summer, when he opted to face then-undefeated WBA mandatory challenger Edgar Berlanga (now 22-1, 17 KOs), The Ring’s No. 9 super middleweight contender. Alvarez was already ordered to next face Scull, but failed to provide proof to the IBF that a deal was reached that would allow for separate fights.

Scull went on to face and defeat Vladimir Shishkin (now 16-1, 10 KOs) in their Oct. 19 vacant IBF title fight between unbeaten contenders in Falkansee, Germany. The final decision was disputed, to the point where Shishkin’s team filed an official protest.

It was fielded by the IBF, who ultimately ruled that Scull’s reign would not only remain uninterrupted but that he was free to make a voluntary defense for his next fight.

That frees up the Germany-based Cuban to potentially land a jackpot assignment against Alvarez.

Regardless of opponent, the aim is for Alvarez to resume his tradition of fighting on or near Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day weekends.