The unusually long embrace shared between Saul “Canelo” Álvarez and Edgar Berlanga as soon as the final bell sounded on Saturday night signified that the brave Berlanga had earned Álvarez’s respect during a 12-round fight that initially looked like it would end much sooner.

Álvarez dropped Berlanga with a flowing left hook, sending the massive underdog tumbling to the seat of his pants barely a minute into the third round. Brooklyn’s Berlanga banged his gloves together in frustration, fought out of that trouble and stayed on his feet throughout a fight that BetMGM listed as a 16-1 favorite to win.

Mexican Álvarez acknowledged that Berlanga “did well” during his post-fight interview with Jim Gray. The unified super middleweight champion unofficially landed 49 percent of his power punches but won a unanimous decision by wide margins on the scorecards of judges Max De Luca (118-109), David Sutherland (117-110) and Steve Weisfeld (118-109).

The lopsided loss marked a victory for Berlanga (22-1, 17 KOs), who was largely dismissed as an overmatched opponent who had yet to earn his shot at Álvarez’s title. Álvarez, meanwhile, fought the entire bout in his fifth straight fight.

The Guadalajara native hasn’t produced a knockout since submitting Caleb Plant in the 11th round of their championship fight in November 2021. That didn’t seem to bother the 34-year-old legend’s loyal fans, who packed the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas for another Álvarez celebration two days before Mexican Independence Day.

With that one-sided showcase behind us, the focus quickly shifted Saturday night to what happens next for Álvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs). He may not return to the ring until May 3, but the biggest star boxer in America didn’t say whether he’ll fight before then, nor did he name any potential opponents for his next fight in his interview with Gray.

The 168-pound king of boxing could still take on younger, undefeated super middleweight contenders, even if he has to continue to avoid David Benavidez — the undefeated, two-time former WBC super middleweight champion and longtime WBC No. 1 contender who moved up to light heavyweight for his last fight after failing to take on Álvarez.

Christian Mbilli (28-0, 23 KOs), born in Cameroon and living and training in Montreal, is ranked No. 1 by the WBC. Diego Pacheco (22-0, 18 KOs) of Los Angeles is the WBO’s No. 1 contender at 168 pounds.

Neither Mbilli nor Pacheco are expected to be able to defeat Álvarez, but the tireless Mbilli’s willingness to take action would likely make for a fight that would delight fans, no matter how long it lasts.

Alvarez could also pursue a rematch with Dmitry Bivol (23-0, 12 KOs) if the WBA light heavyweight champion defeats IBF/WBC/WBO champion Artur Beterbiev (20-0, 20 KOs) in their highly anticipated 175-pound title unification bout on Oct. 12 at Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Russian Bivol defeated Alvarez convincingly in their 12-round bout for Bivol’s title in May 2022 at T-Mobile Arena, but Alvarez and his handlers believe Bivol overpriced himself in negotiations for a rematch that never happened.

A win over Beterbiev would obviously increase fan interest in a Bivol-Álvarez rematch. Bivol has repeatedly stated that he would move up from light heavyweight to super middleweight to prove that weight wasn’t the primary reason he outpointed Álvarez and won a unanimous decision 28 months ago.

Of course, Alvarez could receive a much larger payday than he would earn from either of the aforementioned fights if he were to take on the situation with Terence Crawford that the icon considered impossible.

Like Álvarez, Crawford is a four-weight world champion and has long been considered one of the top five pound-for-pound boxers. However, Crawford would have to move up two weight classes to challenge Álvarez for his super middleweight crowns.

Álvarez argues that he wouldn’t receive what he considers a commendation commensurate with beating a generational talent like Crawford, as Crawford (41-0, 31 KOs) has fought only once above the 147-pound welterweight maximum. Crawford’s cautious strategy against Uzbekistan’s Israil Madrimov (10-1-1, 7 KOs) in his 154-pound debut — a 12-round, unanimous decision win on Aug. 3 in Los Angeles — suggested that moving up two more divisions would be beyond the WBA super welterweight champion.

Crawford’s significant height disadvantage and the accompanying criticism are some of the reasons why Álvarez expects to receive a nine-figure salary for a fascinating fight that has piqued the curiosity of most boxing fans.

Crawford should still be the most attractive option for Alvarez’s next fight if he ultimately doesn’t agree to fight Benavidez. While Crawford would be a decided underdog, Alvarez-Crawford would capture the attention of the mainstream media and generate the requisite revenue streams to call it the biggest fight in boxing right now.

Alvarez’s acrimonious relationship with Turki Alalshikh, who has become boxing’s most influential figure in the past year, could prevent Alvarez-Crawford from becoming a reality. Alalshikh, chairman of the General Entertainment Authority of Saudi Arabia, attacked Alvarez on social media last month for his reluctance to fight Benavidez.

Despite their insults, the sheer sums of money have made many people forgive, if not forget, and Alalshikh has been on an unprecedented spending spree since late last summer. Álvarez has already made more money than his children could spend during his celebrated career, but as he showed on Saturday night, he is almost as much a shrewd businessman as he is a proud, fierce fighter.

If Álvarez was willing to undergo the scrutiny that came with selecting an unworthy, unproven opponent in Berlanga, and in many ways ignore it, a similar principle should apply to fighting an undefeated, ambitious, smaller fighter who tops many pound-for-pound lists and will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.

Frankly, Alvarez and Crawford need each other to have the biggest fight possible, not the opponents in their own division that the paying public wants to see them fight.

Unfortunately, much to the dismay of fans who want Crawford to fight either WBC interim super welterweight champion Vergil Ortiz Jr. (22-0, 21 KO’s) or IBF welterweight champion Jaron “Boots” Ennis (32-0, 29 KO’s, 1 NC), Crawford has stated that he is not interested in either of those two intriguing challenges. Crawford turns 37 on September 28 and understands that he could also pull nine figures for a mega-fight against Álvarez as Crawford is linked to Alalshikh.

Crawford could also settle for fights with less dangerous 154-pound champions than Ortiz or even retire undefeated. The Omaha, Nebraska native instead plans to risk his “0” by taking on a heavier, stronger, elite-level opponent in Álvarez.

Crawford’s critics have nonetheless lambasted him for chasing a paycheck, not greatness, in what is widely seen as a can’t-lose situation. While Álvarez has made some outlandish claims about why he won’t fight Benavidez, Crawford has been largely unapologetic about not wanting to test himself against younger, hungrier, legitimate threats.

No matter how Alvarez and Crawford explain these decisions at the end of their careers, if they’re not going to play the younger, best opponents in their divisions that fans want to see them fight the most, they seem to need each other to get as much business done as possible.