“It ain’t going to go the distance, trust me,” McIntyre said to Esnews about Lester’s fight against Aleem. “He’s a good fighter.” When asked about what comes next, BoMac didn’t hesitate. “Yep,” he said of pursuing Canelo. “Him and Lester? We already got the blueprint on him.”
That plan assumes a few outcomes before the first one is secured. Martinez still has to win on Saturday, Canelo would need to remain in position with the WBC belt, and the approach used by Crawford would have to translate to a different fighter with a different style. None of that is guaranteed, yet the focus has already moved in that direction.
Aleem is not being dismissed outright. McIntyre didn’t dismiss Aleem, noting that his record and past wins are the reason he’s in this position.
“Aleem is not here by mistake. He’s there because of what he’s done in the past,” BoMac said. Even so, the tone of the conversation has been set by what comes after, not what is directly ahead.
There is also recent evidence that Lester, 30, still has work to do before looking at names at the top of the division. His draw with Christian Mbilli last September exposed issues at close range, where he had trouble controlling the exchanges and had to rely on constant pushing off to create space. That is a more immediate concern than anything tied to Canelo.
The appeal of the Canelo fight is obvious, both in profile and money, and it explains why it is being discussed now. Getting there, however, still depends on clearing a step that hasn’t happened yet.
