Canelo Alvarez’s routine win over Avni Yildrim, which was shown exclusively live on DAZN last weekend, has re-opened the debate on where he sits on a hypothetical ranking of Mexico's all-time greatest boxers.
Canelo’s victory on Saturday night solidified his position as the world’s best super-middleweight but is he Mexico’s best ever boxer?
With world titles captured in four divisions from 154lbs all the way up to light-heavyweight, his achievements certainly measure up against his compatriots who came before him.
Fighters like Julio Cesar Chavez, Salvador Sanchez, Marco Antonio Barrera, Juan Manuel Marquez, and Erik Morales have all played heroic parts in placing Mexican boxing on the map, but have all their accomplishments been surpassed by Canelo? It was a topic that took centre stage on the most recent Ak and Barak Show (on DAZN and Sirius XM Fight Nation).
“Chavez was 81-0 before he took on a fighter who boxing fans would consider elite,” said Ak. “Canelo Alvarez was 20 years old and 36-0 when he fought for his first world title vs. [Matthew] Hatton. He started at 15 and at 23 he was fighting arguably the greatest of all time.
“Let’s dive into the record, let’s dive into the opponents, and when they fought who they fought. Let’s talk today, not when Canelo is done. When he’s done, he’ll be way past Julio Cesar Chavez.
"He’ll be amongst the greatest fighters of all time once his career is done. Canelo Alvarez has a better resume, has fought better opposition, and is a better boxer than Julio Cesar Chavez Sr.”
Do you agree? Is Canelo Alvarez a better fighter than Julio Cesar Chavez? Watch the full discussion on The Ak and Barak Show with a DAZN subscription.