I'm making this thread as someone who is clearly not a fan of Canelo or thinks he is an ATG. However, I have to give Canelo his props for fighting good opponents constantly. There is no fighter in boxing currently outside of maybe Usyk who is making the moves that Canelo is making. He is the only fighter willing to fight champions. Just look at his fights since 2017: GGG- Undefeated #1 P4P, World Champion GGG 2- Undefeated #1 P4P, World Champion Fielding- World Champion Jacobs- World Champion Kovalev- World Champion at 175 Smith- Undefeated World Champion Yildrim- Bum Saunders- Undefeated World Champion Plant- Undefeated World Champion Bivol- Undefeated World Champion Future fights: GGG- World Champion Bivol- Undefeated World Champion That's going to a 12 fight span in 5 years where he fought 11 world champions in 12 fights. 7 fights vs Undefeated World Champions. No one else in boxing is consistently facing champions or undefeated fighters. To put that into perspective, Charlo, Andrade, and Benavidez have a combined 0 fights vs a World Champion in the last 5 years. The last time Charlo fought a world champion was in 2015. Andrade is 34 years and still hasn't fought an opponent who sniffed a world championship belt. Since the pandemic, Canelo has fought 5 times with 2 more fights scheduled. Charlo has fought just 2 times since the pandemic. Wilder has 1 fight since the Pandemic. Canelo is the only fighter who is active and doesn't face tomato cans I'll give Canelo prop
That's why we need to applaud Canelo. He has been carrying boxing for years and has faced the best out there. Just look at how often he has fought compared to Crawford, Spence or anyone else. And not only has he fought more often, but he's fought far better competition when he has fought. At SMW, he beat undefeated Champion after undefeated Champion after undefeated Champion en route to Undisputed and after he did that people acted like he didn't fight anybody. Then he moves up to 175 to fight Bivol, even in a losing effort that was a ballsy move, then will fight GGG 4 months later. It's just crazy the amount of risks this guy consistently takes.
Dude literally gives GGG the belt in order to avoid Golovkin in his prime, but yet you call him a guy who takes on all comers. You can't make this **** up. Where do you guys come up with this stuff?
Clenelo is in a unique position as he brings the big bucks, so no opponent is really going to turn him down.
I don't think such a commanding A Side has fought such a high calibre of opposition since Mike Tyson unified the HW division in the late 80s. Canelo has taken the high risk low reward fights that A side guys never face. The likes of Trout, Lara, BJS, Plant and Bivol. He also fought Golovkin and Kovalev who no one would ever have predicted he would face. At MW he defended against Jacobs who was far and away the best available contender. He fought every SMW belt holder within 2 years. He calibre of opposition cannot be knocked.
Please delete Fielding from your list, thank you. He was not the world champion. Surely you know the difference between world and the sanctioning bodies money grabbing, interim/regular nonsense scams!
Every opponent I listed would be the career best opponent for Benavidez, Charlo, or Andrade. I want to see them fight a Plant first before they get a shot at Canelo
I get your point but technically Yildirim wouldn't be, like you said he's a bum. Also Fielding wasn't a real 168 champion. However I generally agree with your main point, i.e. that Canelo has been fighting quality opposition with only a few exceptions. Sadly, much of the rest of the 160-175 divisions are sitting around keeping their 0s in hopes of a Canelo payday.
Just because they won't turn it down dont mean anything if you yourself aren't willing look at Mayweather everyone wanted it but he fought rarely and avoided challenges
You are so right. It's embarrassing how little action the 160-175 are committing to. They are all fighting bums and praying for the canelo payday. I don't see why Charlo or Andrade deserve title shots when they have proven to be bum hunters.
Canelo fought champions but with the exception of Jacobs and Bivol they were weak champions. He might be fighting champions but he's not fighting the best fighters. I think he got a gift with Jacobs.
