“He’s got to get into a big fight soon,” Algieri said on Inside Boxing. “He’s got to unify.”

Canobbio echoed that sentiment, arguing Carrington’s resume still lacks the signature victory expected of a world champion.

“It’s starting to get a little stale,” Canobbio said. “When is he going to fight someone? When’s he going to be in that big fight?”

Carrington captured the WBC featherweight title with a stoppage of Carlos Castro, but since then he has yet to face one of the division’s other champions. Rafael Espinoza, Angelo Leo and Brandon Figueroa all hold major titles in one of boxing’s deepest weight classes.

Algieri doesn’t blame Carrington for the lack of marquee opponents.

“He’s calling out everybody,” he said, pointing instead to the promotional politics that often prevent the biggest fights from being made. He suggested Carrington may eventually have to sacrifice negotiating leverage if he wants to force a unification.

“He’s got to take the lesser money,” Algieri said. “He’s got to be the underdog. He’s got to come in and just say, ‘Listen, I’m going to beat you. Just get me there.'”

Carrington enters Saturday’s defense as a heavy favorite over Palacios, but another routine victory is unlikely to silence the growing calls for him to face one of the division’s elite champions.

At 29 years old, the unbeaten New Yorker appears to have little left to prove against fringe contenders. The fights fans want to see are against Espinoza, Leo, and Figueroa, and until one of those matchups materializes, questions about Carrington’s resume are likely to continue.