Whilst appreciated as the recent ‘face of boxing’ and global superstar, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez’s position amongst the Mexican greats is more up for debate. Now, national legend Julio Cesar Chavez has had his say on where Alvarez sits amongst his country’s many boxing icons.

Canelo’s supporters point to his world titles across four weight classes, longevity at the elite level, and victories over names such as Gennadiy Golovkin, Miguel Cotto and Sergey Kovalev as evidence he belongs among Mexico’s greatest ever fighters.

Critics may argue that controversial scorecards, selective matchmaking claims and defeats to Floyd Mayweather, Dmitry Bivol and Terence Crawford leave him below iconic Mexican figures like Chavez and Salvador Sanchez in all-time discussions.

Chavez, who is often recognised as the nation’s best, told Luis Parra that he believes Canelo has earned his position amongst the country’s ‘top 10’.

“Not including me? Well, look, Mexico has been so great. [Salvador] Sánchez, [Rubén] Olivares, [José] ’Mantequilla’ Nápoles, [Marco Antonio] Barrera, [Erik] Morales, Canelo, [Humberto] ‘Chiquita’ Gonzalez, Ricardo ‘Finito’ López.”

“Yes, [Canelo belongs in the top 10], of course, man.” 

Canelo will seek to further enhance his legacy when he attempts to regain the super-middleweight throne later this year, scheduled to challenge Christian Mbilli for the WBC crown on Saturday, September 12.