Golden Boy Promotions President Eric Gomez, who promotes Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, confirms that John Ryder and WBA super middleweight champion Callum Smith are potential opponents for the Mexican superstar.

Although Gomez cautions that Ryder and Smith are not the only possibilities in the running - and he admits that it would be easier to finalize a deal with an opponent from the United States - due to the restrictions pertaining to the coronavirus pandemic.

Canelo is slated to return on a tentative date of September 14 in Las Vegas.

The opponent will ultimately depend on the finances, since Canelo will not get paid his usual guarantee for the next fight.

Canelo signed an 11 fight deal, worth $365 million, with streaming service DAZN in 2018.

Because his next fight will likely take place behind closed doors, there won't any revenue generated from a live crowd.

Fighters like David Lemieux and Sergiy Derevyanchenko have already made it clear that they are not going to fight someone like Canelo for a low sum.

"There is a very good chance [Canelo could face Smith or Ryder]. There are a couple of guys we are looking at as a possibility," Gomez said to Sky Sports.

"[If we get an opponent in the United States] we don't have to deal with any visa restrictions that have been imposed by the government. If there is someone already here in the US? That helps. It is more difficult now because of the restrictions. The borders are not all open so it isn't easy to bring some fighters to the US.

"It all depends on the negotiations. We are not living in the world that we lived in last year. Canelo will be taking a significant paycut. It depends on the negotiations. Anybody willing to come to the table and be reasonable, he will fight. We are not discarding any of the top guys."