Canelo can make a few adjustments and beat Bivol, and we saw the work Yarde gave Beterbiev, Canelo would stop him. How high in the ATG rankings would that place Canelo?
He will be at least in top 5. However, I think Canelo earned enough money and legacy to live like a king in the rest of his life. It isn't wise to get anymore light heavyweight punishment from monsters like Bivol and Beterbiev. His lifespan has already been shortened considerably by the damages he got in all those battles he's been in.
If he beat both of them he would move up quite a few spots. However, Alvarez' last few fights have shown us that he is not the boxer he used to be. I'm not convinced he could have beaten either of them at any point in his career but he most certainly can't now. Beterbiev stops Canelo and Bivol would be a big favorite to win a rematch.
He would probably be indisputably the best Mexican boxer ever as far as how high all time, it’s hard to say it’s very unlikely 175 too big it’s weight classes for a reason and everybody has limits. Maybe he could pull off a Bivol rematch win if he ups his cardio and can get back to the slick head movement version of Canelo.. but the current Seek and destroy boxer/puncher should stay at 168 can feast on guys like Benavidez, Berlanga, Charlo, maybe a few random mandatories in the ilk of John Ryder, stay away from Morrell or catch em early on before he can really develop. And carve out a legacy there as many the greatest SMW ever.
Clenelo can eat all the Mexican beef he wants but he will be road kill for Beterbiev, and Bivol will give him the beating Tina got from Ike.
What more do you want him to do? You want him to beat Superman? If he beats Bivol and Beterbiev, he will have cleaned middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight divisions. 4 divisions world champion.
Canelo gets KO'd by both Bivol & Berterbiev and he knows it. Not getting chinned by GGG was his greatest feat Bivol didn't KO him because the Americans would have arrested him for abuse even after they took away his paycheck just because he was born in an "enemy" country.
And that would make him Top 5 in your eyes? Really? Out of curiousity, what is your current Top 5? And where do you have Canelo ranked right now in an all time sense?
It'd be uphill and I'd not bet on him winning, but its possible Canelo could still do it. Bivol Doesn't really matter that Bivol is the better boxer in nearly every metric. If Canelo has a much better gameplan that includes him boxing Bivol rather than playing spam-the-power-shots, he could definitely make it a close fight and that's all he would need for the judges would give him the nod. Beterbiev The more Canelo waits, the better his odds are here because that's the more Beterbiev will age. At Beterbievs age, speed & punch resistance tends to drop meaning Canelo's explosive counters would be doing a lot of damage. On the other hand Beterbievs power is still there and no doubt would his every hit do massive damage too. It'd be a fight with Canelo on defense and Beterbiev chasing him around the ring. If he could pull off victories against both of them in addition to the legacy he already has, Canelo would for sure be in the top 10 greatest boxers of all time. I couldn't see him being anything less.
Canelo cant make adjustments at this point of his career, hes set in his ways and theres nothing he can do to beat Bivol. Beter? I dont want to see Canelo at 175 anymore, hes just not the same fighter at that weight. Losing to Bivol again hurts his legacy.
The time Canelo could improve/adjust himself is way behind him. He will surf on what is left inside of him and retire after a few more fights. If you watch closely he is already a bum when it comes to the variety of shots he has in his arsenal. He uses the jab and tries to pack a power right hand behind. IMO the best Canelo, peak Canelo, was against Chavez Jr. Bivol is unreachable. Canelo lost first fight and it was not tight. He bruised the arm of Bivol, all he can do. Many saw him lose against GGG. Ryder gave him some trouble despite claims he was tailor made for him. I am sorry but it is time to consider another fighter as the current best pound for pound. Canelo, for me, is on the decline. And solidly. Huge respect for his trainer. He continues to make Canelo look like a semi-god at least to the eyes of some amateurs. I find it totally amazing. Remember Eddy Reynoso is also the same trainer who made Andy "fat beluga" Ruiz won a title against Joshua. That trainer is making history, imo, more than Canelo himself.
