Canelo Alvarez may not often be mentioned in debates about the greatest boxer of all time, but he does have his own pick for the prestigious honour.
The flame-haired Mexican has carved out a stellar career, winning world titles across four weight divisions and unifying the super-middleweight division between 2018 and 2021. The man he chose as his G.O.A.T collected many more accolades across various eras, in a time when titles were far less plentiful.
Speaking to GQ Sports, Canelo had praise for a number of stars, as he described the phenomenal Roberto Durán as one of the sport’s best ever, while calling former opponents Floyd Mayweather Jr and Dmitry Bivol “great” fighters.
There was only one man that came to mind for Canelo when describing the best ever though, after he was asked to sum up the legendary Muhammad Ali.
“The best in the world. Of all time.”
Ali has long been the popular pick. His achievement of becoming a three-time heavyweight champion is even more remarkable when it is considered he lost three-and-a-half years of his career as he approached his prime.
In 1967, aged 25, Ali retained his titles with a seventh-round knockout of Zora Folley. A year earlier he had been drafted by the U.S. military for service in the Vietnam War and was called up for induction in ’67. Ali refused, which led to his arrest and conviction — later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.
After slaying Sonny Liston in his early years, Ali returned to reclaim the world title and defeat the likes of Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Ken Norton, Earnie Shavers and Leon Spinks.
