Canelo Álvarez is one of the biggest stars in boxing, and some pundits still regard him as the best fighter on the planet.
The Mexican has won a host of world titles across four weight classes, and headlined multiple pay per views that have generated well into the tens of millions of dollars.
He has no doubt secured himself a spot amongst the sport’s elite names when retirement eventually calls, and Canelo has revealed which fighter he ranks as the very best to ever lace up a pair of gloves.
In a feature with GQ, the 33 year old named the great Muhammad Ali as the boxer who, in his opinion, stands above all others.
“The best in the world – of all time.”
Known universally as ‘The Greatest,’ Ali had iconic fights with the likes of Joe Frazier, George Foreman, and Sonny Liston before retiring with a record of 56 wins and 5 defeats.
He sadly passed away in 2016 aged 74, following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease.
As for Canelo, his fight against mandatory challenger John Ryder announced last week for May 6th, and will take place at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara.
It will be his first fight in Mexico in over a decade, and a sell out crowd is regarded as a near certainty.
Although perhaps not particularly well known by American audiences, Ryder is a solid operator and recently scored a career best win over former Alvarez opponent Danny Jacobs.
That said, Canelo is a firm favourite to get past the Brit and set up a rematch with Dmitriy Bivol for the second half of the year.