We add another title to the growing list of Canelo Alvarez.
Alvarez picked up another piece of the super middleweight belt after defeating Callum Smith on December 19 to win the AMB, CMB and The Ring titles in the 168-pound division. Alvarez had already established himself as the main source of income for boxing. Now, one can argue that he is the best boxer in both middleweight and super middleweight. But is he the best boxer in the world?
ESPN’s pound-for-pound ranking has Terence “Bud” Crawford at No. 1 and Alvarez at No. 2, but several other media have the four-division Mexican champion as the king of boxing. Each wrestler got a win in the last months of 2020 to bolster his case as the best in the sport.
ESPN analysts Cameron Wolfe and Ben Baby take opposite corners to defend who is really the best in the world: Crawford or Alvarez.
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Check out Terence Crawford’s memorable moments as he continues his journey in the welterweight division.
Wolfe: Write one down for Crawford here. Pound-by-pound lists are about sight testing and successes for me. None of Floyd Mayweather Jr. has consistently dominated, from lightweight to junior welterweight and welterweight, like Crawford. He was the lightweight linear champion, undisputed lightweight junior champion and is now the bogeyman of the welterweight division.
Alvarez is one of the best fighters of this generation, but in his three most important fights (Mayweather, Gennadiy Golovkin twice) he has a defeat, a draw (which many considered a defeat) and a victory. What separates Crawford is that no one has come close to beating him. His speed, his defense, his intelligence, his ability to adapt, his power; he regularly makes his opponents look like a nobody.
It’s been almost five years since someone brought Crawford to the cards. Alvarez is the biggest money man in boxing, but Crawford is the king of boxing. But Ben, I know you’re eager to present your argument here. Why am I wrong?
Baby: For me, it’s not a big discussion. When you look at Alvarez’s story over the last 10 years, Canelo’s level of opposition is really amazing. Since 2011, when Alvarez won his first major welterweight title, he has been battling some of the sport’s most important names and eliminating himself with relative ease. The only exception is Mayweather, who was smart at fighting Canelo early in his career and at an intermediate weight that was a couple of pounds lighter than Alvarez’s usual range at the time.
Shane Mosley. Miguel Cotto. Erislandy Lara. Golovkin. This is just a sample of the names on Canelo’s resume.
On top of that, Canelo has become more impressive as he moves throughout his career. It can go from a masterful defense and a counterattack to an intimidating assault, even against someone who posed confrontational issues like Callum Smith.
For me, this is the biggest factor that separates Alvarez and Crawford. Whether it’s Crawford’s fault or not, he just hasn’t been able to secure opponents of his own caliber.
Wolfe: Look, I can’t argue with you that Alvarez has a better opponent resume than Crawford, but I’m not going to criticize Crawford for the ills of boxing.
Crawford is the most feared and perhaps the most terrifying fighter in boxing. Why is the best fighter in the division punished because the others in the weight won’t fight him, using the “across the street” argument as an excuse? How do we know that these supposed PBC elite boxers wouldn’t face the same fate in the ring as everyone else fighting Bud?
I’d rather look at what Bud did than emphasize who he hasn’t faced. I’ll give Canelo credit for his evolution as a boxer, but I still have it etched in my head how Mayweather made him look normal for 12 rounds. And he can argue that he didn’t win either of his two fights with Golovkin. I also have problems with Canelo failing several drug tests for “contaminated meat.” There are too many questions about Canelo for me to raise him above Crawford, who could be the cleanest, meanest man in boxing.
Baby: Failures in drug testing should not be overlooked. This will always be part of Canelo’s legacy, no matter how he feels about it. But I think Alvarez should get credit for not having any problems apart from the situation after Golovkin’s first fight. And as I said, the combination of his talents in the ring and the rivals he has beaten has no parallel in the sport.
That said, I know it’s not enough for you. So, since Alvarez isn’t your number one pound-for-pound fighter, who needs to beat Canelo to move him to the top of the standings?
Wolfe: That’s a good question. The gap between Crawford and Alvarez, between No. 1 and No. 2, is closer to me than between Alvarez and Naoya Inoue at No. 2 and No. 3. Assuming Crawford has no other outstanding opponent, a convincing victory for Alvarez over Golovkin or CMB middleweight champion Jermall Xerro would be enough to take him to No. 1.
What Crawford fights would be enough to get him to the top spot?
Baby: I know boxing has its policies, but if Crawford “crosses the street” and is willing to face some opponents under the umbrella of Premier Boxing Champions, it will really increase his actions. After the Errol Spence-Danny Garcia fight, Shawn Porter called openly to face Crawford.
Crawford has the potential to be the king pound for pound of boxing. And while these external forces in boxing exist, Crawford must also do everything in his power to make sure he calls for a fight against all the best, not just the most profitable. He would then get to the point where Canelo finds himself, where he can choose his opponent and win more than anyone to do so.
Alvarez is 30 years old. Crawford is 33 years old and still humming. And if they continue in their current trajectory, the debate over the two will continue through the coming years.