Saul ‘Canelo‘ Alvarez is at the very top of the sport both in terms of skill level and star power.
The Mexican kicked off his pro campaign when he was just 15 years old, first fighting in the US in his 24th fight before making Las Vegas his home ground in more recent times.
Over the course of 65 fights, Alvarez has lost just twice – first to Floyd Mayweather when he was 23 and then in 2022 against Dmitry Bivol. He is undefeated in the super-middleweight ranks where he was previously undisputed but recently stripped to hold just three of the four major belts.
Canelo has fought and beat the likes of Caleb Plant, Billy Joe Saunders, John Ryder, Callum Smith and Jaime Munguia in his current division. Because of his dominance, he will enter the conversation of the best 168 pounders of all time.
Another man who has a claim to that is James Toney, who held the IBF belt from ’93 to ’94, making three successful defences before losing it to Roy Jones Jr – perhaps the best ever in the weight class.
The elite defence of Toney has been compared to Canelo’s ability to avoid shots in some of his bouts, and they certainly share a toughness inside the ropes, but the man himself will hear none of it. Speaking to Fight Hub TV, he said he was on a different level.
“Come see me. I keep on seeing my name, comparing James Toney to Canelo. There is no comparison. There is none. I’m up here, Canelo’s down there. Period. Who was more skill than me? No-one but Sugar Ray Robinson. We on top. Wanna know why? Only the best fighters come from where? Detroit.”
The Detroit native hung up the gloves with 77 wins from an incredible 92 fights. Of his ten losses, he was never stopped inside the distance. Canelo is yet to touch the canvas in a fight, but his next opponent – Edgar Berlanga on September 14 – has promised to change that.
