Canelo Alvarez's Next Fight: April 21, Kirkland and Mosley Being Discussed

Unless he lands a May 5 date with Floyd Mayweather Jr, the target for Canelo Alvarez's return is now April 21, and two very different opponents are being discussed.

The first is James Kirkland, which is a risky fight that many want to see. Kirkland (30-1, 27 KO) faces Carlos Molina on January 28, on HBO, and a win there could set him up for the 4/21 date with Alvarez. Both are of course promoted by Golden Boy Promotions, so the fight should be easy to make if both sides want it, and we know that Kirkland does.

The other possibility is the one that many boxing fans have been fearing for the last seven months, and one that was brought up on Twitter by the fighter himself a week ago: Shane Mosley. Mosley, 40, has been hideous in his last three fights, and hasn't won since January 2009, when he decimated Antonio Margarito, who hasn't looked good since July 2008.

I know there are some people who think that the shot Mosley is an interesting matchup for Alvarez, but count me out of that group. Mosley has nothing left in the ring and I don't care how slow or overrated you feel Alvarez is: Mosley can't pull the trigger anymore, period, and that's a problem that can't be overcome.

If we do get Alvarez vs Mosley -- and that would be my guess -- then Golden Boy needs to be called on further soft matchmaking for Canelo, because there is not a shortage of decent fights to be made at 154 pounds, and people who don't disapprove of the fight going in don't get to complain after when it looks exactly like it's going to look, just like the Cintron fight did.