Saul “Canelo” Alvarez is the best pound-for-pound boxer in the world today. That’s not a crazy opinion or a provocation: it’s a fact backed up by numbers, legacy and opposition faced. So while Terence Crawford doesn’t put him on his list of favorites, the truth still stands.
And if anyone still doubts it, answer this question:
How many boxers can boast of having beaten 23 world champions or former world champions in their career?
Canelo’s numbers don’t lie
Canelo Alvarez has defeated 23 world champions or former world champions, according to ESPN. And we’re not talking about vacant or invented titles, but proven, recognized and belt-in-hand opponents. Here is just a sample:
- Gennady Golovkin (two wins, one draw)
- Miguel Cotto (2015)
- Sergey Kovalev (2019, by knockout)
- Billy Joe Saunders and Caleb Plant (both by technical knockout)
- Callum Smith, Daniel Jacobs, Shane Mosley, Austin Trout, Amir Khan, among others
Crawford, for his part, remains undefeated. He has beaten all 41 opponents he has faced and knocked out 31. His career is brilliant. But even so, when asked who was better than Canelo, he chose De La Hoya, Bivol and Mayweather. A legitimate answer, yes, but also limited by the context: a fight is coming. Marketing demands conflict, even if it is verbal.
Canelo did recognize Crawford’s greatness
And here’s the difference. When Canelo was asked if there was anyone better than Crawford among a list of legends such as Felix Trinidad, Pacquiao, Hopkins, Mayweather and Bivol, he opted for silence. He did not name anyone. A gesture that, in boxing parlance, is tantamount to silent recognition.
Canelo knows how to play this chess game. He has the elegance of a consolidated champion and the coldness of one who has already won everything.
The truth will be known on September 13
That day Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford will face each other in Las Vegas. For the undisputed super middleweight titles. An eagerly awaited fight. A historic fight.
Did Bivol beat the Mexican? Yes. Just like Buster Douglas beat Tyson. But one defeat does not erase a career. Canelo has never been knocked out. Neither has Crawford. And that unbeaten record that both of them hold in the KO department could be broken that night.
This is not just a boxing fight. It is a dispute for the throne of the best in the world. A fight that could define the narrative of an entire generation.
Until then, let everyone believe what they want. But when the bell rings… we will speak in the language of fists. Because there, in the ring, there are no networks, no rankings, no excuses.
Only truth.
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