Errol Spence says Canelo Alvarez is still the #1 pound-for-pound in boxing despite his less-than-stellar performances in 2022 against Dmitry Bivol and Gennadiy Golovkin.
Spence points out that the undisputed super middleweight champion Canelo (58-2-2, 39 KOs) made $200 million in 2022, and in his eyes, he sees him as the top guy in the sport.
Many fans would disagree with Spence’s view of Canelo being the pound-for-pound best, as that’s a distinction that is designed for the fighters that are at the top of their game, out-performing the other boxers in the sport.
After looking at the way, Canelo fought against 40-year-old Golovkin last September, barely beating him, and in his one-sided twelve-round decision loss to WBA light heavyweight champion Bivol last May, it’s impossible to view the Mexican star as pound-for-pound #1.
“He’s pound for pound. He made $200 million last year; he’s definitely pound for pound. I like watching Canelo,” said Errol Spence to ESNEWS about Canelo Alvarez.
“The pound-for-pound stuff is cool, and being a Hall of Fame is great. But you want to get your money first because 90% of the boxers in the Hall of Fame are probably broke,” said Spence.
Spence is arguably getting pound-for-pound mixed up with being the ‘Face of Boxing.’ Being the most famous fighter that makes the money isn’t the same thing as being pound-for-pound #1.
Canelo is still obviously the ‘Face of Boxing’ for the time being, but that could change if he loses his fight on Saturday night on May 6th against John Ryder at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico.
A loss here for Canelo or another poor showing could see his popularity diminish to the point where fans won’t be as eager to watch him moving forward.
As it is, Canelo’s fight against Ryder (32-5, 18 KOs) likely won’t bring in many buys on DAZN PPV, as there’s no buzz about the contest, and the promotion has been virtually nonexistent. It’s assumed that Canelo is counting on his fans to want to purchase his fight with Ryder on pay-per-view because he’s placed it on the Cinco de Mayo holiday weekend.
If Canelo doesn’t start fighting the guys that the fans want to see him face, like David Benavidez, Bivol, Artur Beterbiev, David Morrell, and Jermall Charlo, his popularity will deteriorate.
Gervonta Davis could surpass Canelo soon as the face of boxing because he’s fighting the opposition that fans want to see, and he’s getting a lot of attention every time he fights.
