A debate has opened up as Mexican superstar Canelo Alvarez continues his bid to become an undisputed force in the super-middleweight division.
Brutally beating Billy Joe Saunders on the back of picking up the other belts from ex-number one Callum Smith, Canelo is the talk of the town.
Before his amazing performance in front of a record-breaking crowd at Cowboys Stadium in Texas, the WBC revealed their all-time top ten list at 168.
Unsurprisingly, Sugar Ray Leonard, Joe Calzaghe, and Nigel Benn lead the way. But where would Canelo rank now?
WBC TOP 10 SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPIONS
1. Ray Leonard (US)
2. Joe Calzaghe (GB)
3. Nigel Benn (GB)
4. Andre Ward (US)
5. Markus Beyer (Germany)
6. Carl Froch (GB)
Mikkel Kessler (Denmark)
8. Robin Reid (GB)
9. Danny Green (Australia)
10. Eric Lucas (Canada)
President Mauricio Sulaiman wrote in his column days after Canelo vs. Saunders and revealed the criteria and achievements.
“One of the questions that commonly circulate among media and experts is where Saúl Álvarez stands within the lists of the best in history,” pointed out Sulaiman.
“For this, it is necessary to study some of the considerations that allow us to have a more solid analysis of the subject and not only be based on individual appreciation or favoritism.
“There are several criteria to evaluate with facts and numbers:
* Record:
“Obviously gives a visual overview of a career; El Canelo has a record of 56 wins, one loss, two draws, with 38 KOs.
“Even though there are at least five fights that are not considered in his official record for some unknown reasons.”
WEIGHT TITLES
WBC Super welter with 6 title defenses
WBA super welter
WBC Middleweight, against Miguel Cotto
WBC Middleweight against Gennady Golovkin
WBA Middleweight
IBF Middleweight
WBC Super Middleweight, against Callum Smith
WBA Super Middleweight
WBO Super Middleweight
WBO Light Heavyweight
* Number of world championship fights:
He has to this day is 20.
* Championships won:
“Saúl conquered a variety of affiliate titles to the WBC from an early age.
“He won the WBC Youth World Title, the NABF, and the Silver Super Welterweight title, as well as the following world championships:
CANELO OPPONENTS
* Level of opposition:
The quality of the opponents he has faced is a prominent factor, and a significant number of world champions appear on the list.
“Saul has faced 19 world champions. Shane Mosley, Miguel Cotto, Gennady “GGG” Golovkin, Amir Khan, Austin Trout, Erislandy Lara, Daniel Jacobs, Sergey Kovalev, Julio César Chávez Jr., and Billy Joe Saunders. His only defeat to date was eight years ago when he faced Floyd Mayweather Jr.
“Years of fighting at high levels of importance and competition, he has already a decade established as an elite boxer.”
* Popularity:
“His fan base is massive. He has worldwide recognition of being the best pound-for-pound of the moment.
“Saúl Canelo Álvarez continues to build his legacy, and he still has several years to accumulate more triumphs so that the day he ends his career in the ring.
“Canelo can determine his place in the history of Mexican and world boxing.”
