In the eyes of many, Mexican icon Canelo Alvarez is widely considered to be one of the best fighters on the planet right now.
The 34-year-old from Guadalajara, Mexico is just shy of 70 fights an exceptional professional career which began when he was just a 15-year-old back in 2005.
Since entering the paid ranks, Canelo has captured world titles across four weight classes, ranging from light-middleweight to light-heavyweight, including two reigns as the undisputed super-middleweight champion which he currently holds.
He is set to defend his crown against fellow pound-for-pound star Terence ‘Bud’ Crawford. Their highly anticipated ‘super-fight’ will take place on Saturday September 13 at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
In a feature with The Ring Magazine, Canelo was asked to reveal the current top three pound-for-pound fighters in his opinion, naming a trio of fighters ‘besides himself’.
“Besides me, okay? I think [Oleksandr] Usyk [number one], [Naoya] Inoue, and [Terence] Crawford.”
It is clear to see why Canelo has chosen the aforementioned names, with Usyk and Inoue both holding the honour of being two-weight undisputed champions, with Usyk achieving it at cruiserweight and heavyweight, while Inoue has managed it at bantamweight and super-bantamweight.
They are two of the three men that have accomplished that in the four-belt era, with Canelo’s upcoming opponent Crawford the other, with ‘Bud’ attempting to become a three-weight undisputed champion when he collides with the Mexican superstar.
Canelo’s impending showdown has been described by fans and analysts around the world as being the ‘biggest fight of the sport’, with two of the biggest names in the sport set to go face-to-face.
The 34-year-old has already defeated a number of generational greats throughout the course of his tenure, including the likes of Miguel Cotto, Sergey Kovalev and Gennady Golovkin to name just a few.
Victory over Crawford could secure Canelo his status as the pound-for-pound number one fighter on the planet, although he is faced with what could well be one of the toughest tests of his accomplished career.
