The hottest fighter in the sport today, and the man everyone is talking about, Canelo Alvarez, is a dead-cert for The Hall of Fame. But has Canelo peaked? At age 31, having done all he’s done, having achieved all he’s achieved, it’s quite amazing to think Canelo might – might – be able to accomplish quite a lot more before his already amazing ring career reaches its end.
Is Canelo an all-time great right now? And has Canelo surpassed the legendary Julio Cesar Chavez as the greatest Mexican fighter ever; or if he hasn’t quite done it yet, will he do so before too long if he keeps on picking up big and meaningful wins the way he’s been doing? These are big questions, no doubt about it.
What more, in your opinion, does Canelo need to do to become an all-time great and his country’s finest-ever if he hasn’t yet earned both distinctions? And again, has Canelo peaked; have we seen his best performances, or is there more stuff, exceptional stuff, to come?
Throughout boxing history, we have seen a number of great fighters begin a slow fade upon turning the age of 30. Also, plenty of great fighters changed their style and approach after hitting 30.
Smarter in their approach, craftier, slower perhaps, benefiting from their years of experience, legends like Muhammad Ali, Marvin Hagler, Erik Morales, James Toney, and so many others were almost totally different fighters at age 30 in comparison to their younger, early and mid-twenties selves. Canelo has already shown he is a smart fighter, but what else might be to come from the four-weight champ?
When you look at Canelo today, what is his defining win – his big win over Gennady Golovkin? His stoppage win over Sergey Kovalev? The unification win over Caleb Plant? Also, how much longer will Canelo fight for? Can anyone beat him?
It seems extremely unlikely Canelo will erode and look anything like a slowly aging fighter in his next few bouts. Age can, of course, catch up with any fighter, even overnight, but Canelo has never taken too much punishment, he is in no danger of burning out, and his style is not reliant on razor-sharp reflexes. Canelo at 31 and beyond will be a hard man to beat. Can anyone knock him out? This seems doubtful unless Canelo does go back up to 175 and tackles the wrong guy, or if he goes up to cruiserweight and finds out he has bitten off more than he can chew.
How much more does Canelo need to achieve before you look at him as a genuine great? A stoppage win over GGG in a third fight would be a great statement, as would additional wins over elite light-heavyweights. While the winning of a belt at a fifth weight would be ab enormous achievement.
Then, perhaps going out with something like a 60-1-2, or 61-1-2 record, Canelo would be a lock for The Hall of Fame (he is already), and he would be looked at by all as an all-time great. That toppling of the beloved Chavez, however, might be the one thing Canelo is never able to do. Chavez is, as we know, a God in Mexico.
Canelo, at age 31 and beyond, will remain the face of the sport. Until some young star in the making relieves him of the lofty mantle. If this actually happens.
Canelo is loaded with options right now, and it really will be interesting finding out what his next move will be.
Great remarks but Canelo has to fight the main boxers like Benavides and Charlo.
Chavez Sr had a Unbelievable and Unforgettable Undefeated streak of 90-0 before his Draw to Pernell Whitaker and his first defeat to Frankie Randall. But Canelo will be top 5 greatest of Mexico because of his Accomplishments.