Best p4p fighter since prime Pac/Mayweather? Poll Included

Nah I disagree

 

He wasn't schooled through. He faded late and lost 115-113. That's a very respectable score for a guy who has no business fighting at LHW. To take the Undefeated LHW Champ Bivol into such deep waters is impressive. Bivol has become P4P himself, the loss had to do with Canelo not having his normal speed and gas tank at the higher weight, so the weight disadvantage Canelo was at has to be considered since it's P4P, especially with him returning back to 168 and of course Bivol putting on a hell of a performance. It really should have raised both their profiles. But most people don't see it that way, they use it as an opportunity to exaggerate the margin of Canelo's defeat just like they did when he lost to Mayweather. It's time for a reality check, exaggerating will only get you so far.

 

He also used a multitude of illegal tactics excessively to win fights aswell .. Imagine Gonzalez or Loma elbowing somebody in the cheek , punching them in the bollocks & then nutting an opponent to win

 

That is true, Ward was accused of using dirty tactics on many occassions. Canelo's always been a clean fighter in the ring and never used the kind of rough house tactics Ward used. Another reason to have Canelo over Ward P4P.

 

Canelo Alvarez and its not close

 

I have Usyk a deserved P4P #1 right now, and I rate Ward highly, though it's good to put things in their proper context.

Gonzalez has had over fifty fights, competed in four weight classes, fought everyone in boxing's toughest division (where he's giving up size), and is currently enjoying a renaissance little guys aren't suppose to have.

Perhaps not as good as those mentioned, but then his career has been more hectic...

 

Usyk and Ward

 

How can Canelo be p4p when he's unable to make adjustments mid-fight?

 

He's actually known for being able to make adjustments mid-fight. Look what he did to GGG, Khan, Saunders, etc. He was being outboxed by Khan early, then made adjustments, timed him, KO'd him. Same with Saunders, Saunders had some success early on and in the mid-rounds, but Canelo made adjustments, timed him and caught him perfectly. Against Kovalev, he was being outboxed for most of the fight, then made adjustments, timed him, KO'd him out cold. He didn't make adjustments vs Bivol, but to say he's unable to make adjustments mid-fight in general is just silly. He's done it his whole career.

 

For the most accomplished, greatness-type P4P it's between Chocolatito and Canelo.

For who showed the most brilliance, had the best night or short run, it's Loma followed closely by Usyk with Ward a bit behind.

It's two very different senses of best, in some ways one prevents the other. How would we remember Ward if he had tested himself at CW/HW and took losses or how we would we remember Chocolatito if he retired undefeated instead of fighting SSR?

 

Usyk hasn't fought anyone on the level of Mayweather or Bivol, let alone GGG, Prime Lara, etc. Canelo won the big one when he beat GGG. Second, you call those bad losses? Each were close decisions on the cards. A bad loss is getting KTFO like Pac did to Marquez. A bad loss is Loma losing to Teo, which was far more one-sided than Canelo Mayweather or Canelo Bivol. Granted Loma was injured, but still. Then Teo lost to Kambosos, and Kambosos got dominated by Haney. Those results make Loma's loss to Teo look even worse.

So Canelo never lost "badly" in his entire career and it's absurd to make that argument. His only losses were to undefeated fighters while fighting at weight disadvantages that were close on the cards. Losing close to Mayweather, who was P4P #1 at the time, or close to Bivol, who was undefeated at a full weight class above his weight, are not bad losses. Those are respectable losses, it's hard to find better losses than those if we're honest.

 

Adelaide?

 

2010 Manny Pacquiao
2011 Andre Ward
2012 Nonito Donaire
2013 Guillermo Rigondeaux
2014 Gennady Golovkin
2015 Roman Gonzalez
2016 Vasyl Lomachenko
2017 Vasyl Lomachenko
2018 Naoya Inoue
2019 Naoya Inoue
2020 Terence Crawford
2021 Oleksandr Usyk

Something like that seems fair.

 

Usyk #1, Chocolatito #2, probably Canelo #3