World Boxing News has nominated three standout boxers for the Fighter of the Decade award in Canelo Alvarez, Andre Ward, and Floyd Mayweather.
The trio stands ahead of the rest of the field, which included Manny Pacquiao, Gennadiy Golovkin and a host of others.
As we gear up to the official announcement next week, all the nominees get their achievements reviewed.
First up, we look at the case for…
CANELO
The Mexican began the decade pushing for his first world title. Wins over Luciano Cuello and Lovemore Ndou pushed the ‘Cinnamon One’ to a WBC championship bout against Matthew Hatton.
Dominating the Briton, Canelo had the first of many straps in his possession.
Five successful defenses followed until a unification clash with Austin Trout gave Canelo his second belt at 154 pounds. Then came Mayweather.
Touting as being too young to challenge the pound for pound king, promoter Oscar De La Hoya was certain his man could pull off a shock.
As it usually turned out, Mayweather was just too damn good for the 23-year-old rising star despite a shocking card from CJ Ross.
Dusting himself down, Canelo began the groundwork for a run at middleweight. He badly wanted to become a two-weight ruler.
Three straight victories, one a debated split over Erislandy Lara, brought Canelo to Miguel Cotto’s door. With the vacant WBC title at 160 pounds up for grabs, Canelo made Cotto look old on the night.
A pair of Brit-bashing wins kept Canelo in the title hunt, adding another version of the super welterweight crown, before Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. was easily defeated at the newly-opened T-Mobile Arena.
The previous seven years led Canelo to harness all he’d learned to take on the formidable Gennadiy Golovkin.
A classic encounter should have seen Canelo notch number two in the losing column. But as it transpired, GGG was robbed of victory.
Handing down a draw, the judges on that fateful night were roundly criticized for their efforts.
The rematch was different and saw Canelo change tactics, proving his genuine world-class credentials once again to gain the decision.
FOUR-WEIGHT
Since the Golovkin saga, Canelo has claimed belts in two more weight divisions to become a four-weight ruler.
Add to that the fact Canelo has been pound for pound number one on more than one occasion. Plus, Canelo is currently the biggest Pay-Per-View star on the planet – albeit one who no longer fights on the platform.
The Golden Boy and DAZN star would be a worthy winner.
