Fast approaching his 11th super middleweight appearance, the division's undisputed champion Canelo Alvarez will welcome four-weight beltholder Terence Crawford to new waters in their September 13 megafight.

Much has been made of Canelo linking up with former unified welterweight titlist Jaron Ennis (34-0, 30 KOs, 1 NC) as final preparations are in full swing.

Though besides some fantasy matchups - like this one was deemed just two years ago - the 35-year-old Mexican star has become a victim of his own success according to many critics, with everyone eager to crown a new top dog.

Former WBA super middleweight champion George Groves, who could've gone on to face Canelo had he beaten Callum Smith in September 2018, shares that view.

A four-fight stretch in 11 months saw Alvarez claim all the belts at 168-pounds and Groves has said previously that by being too good for his peers, the 20-year pro made the division less exciting - much like after leaving middleweight in 2019.

"Canelo completed the super middleweight division, hasn't he?" he told The Ring on that topic last month.

"Edgar Berlanga isn't good enough, David Benavidez was too big for the weight, Hamzah Sheeraz outgrew 160 but who is there [to challenge Canelo] stateside? Diego Pacheco, meh. Canelo ruined it really, there's nothing to get excited about."

Berlanga (23-2, 18 KOs) was dropped and lost a wide 12-round decision to Canelo last September as a then-unbeaten contender, suffering the same fate Jaime Munguia did four months prior.

Newly-minted WBC interim champion Christian Mbilli (29-0, 24 KOs) faces unbeaten contender Lester Martinez on the Canelo-Crawford undercard next month, keen to deliver a stock-raising performance that will provide him favour for full title honours.

Osleys Iglesias takes on Vladimir Shishkin in an IBF final title eliminator next Thursday, while Canelo's compatriot Jose Armando Resendiz holds the WBA interim strap after outpointing former beltholder Caleb Plant in their Prime Video headliner on May 30.

Benavidez (30-0, 27 KOs) long called for a Canelo matchup previously but instead opted to move up to 175-pounds last summer, unsatisfied playing the waiting game many have embraced.

He will make his Riyadh Season debut on November 22 against two-time title challenger Anthony Yarde in the first defence of his WBC light heavyweight title since being elevated to full champion.

Sheeraz, almost a full decade younger than his idol, made his divisional debut one to remember when headlining last month's Ring III card in New York with a fifth-round stoppage win over Berlanga.

Many believe it's too soon for the hard-hitting Brit to focus too much energy on a declining legend, while Matchroom-backed Diego Pacheco is even younger and on a steady trajectory towards title contention after 12-round decision wins over Steven Nelson and Trevor McCumby this year.

"Hamzah must be able to punch really hard, when you look at the size of him, they don't usually have that power but he's Tommy Hearns-esque, finds you at the end of his punches and is becoming a real force.

"Sometimes guys boil themselves down and know their power will diminish, but he's not like that and it's crazy to see."