Purely at 160lbs: GGG Martinez Canelo Pavlik Trinidad I suspect most people will have Canelo above Martinez, and no question Canelo was better for longer, but for a short while, around the Pavlik and Williams rematches, and shortly after, Sergio was brilliant and would have been a tough style match up for Canelo. Pavlik, on the other hand, would have been tailor made for Canelo.
How do you have them in your resume ranking, strictly at or around 160 (so not junior or super middle or whatever)?
I've only ever done a deep dive on MW resumes for those fighters in contention for my top 20 of all time, where I have GGG #13. The others weren't in contention (solely based in fights contested at 160lbs).
I'd rank Canelo above Martinez simply because Martinez got taken out by Margarito and the limited Chavez Jr almost took Martinez out in the 12th round aswell. So if lesser Mexican fighters can have that much success vs Martinez then I'd favour Canelo to break down Martinez and stop him late.
I'd rank Canelo above Martinez p4p based on career achievements in all divisions and I'd take the best Canelo to beat the Martinez that lost to Margarito, too, though that's matching Canelo at 160lbs vs a 147lbs Martinez. Canelo had explosive punches, but realtively slow feet. He was at his worst when he had to chase his opponent, and he's not outboxing Sergio at range. Best vs best at 160lbs, I have a feeling Martinez would be a horrible style match up for Canelo and I'd narrowly favour him to win a decision of fair scorecards. As this is a H2H thread, that's why I ranked Sergio higher, though I consider it close and arguable.
