Canelo vs.
could box as well as bang, but it’s easy to forget that although his record stood at 43-0, he was just 23 years old when he lost to Mayweather. Since then, Canelo has matured and adjusted his style to make use of superlative counterpunching, upper- body movement and high ring IQ to complement his power, pressure and killer instinct, all of which are still very much alive. The Ring Magazine chose Canelo as the Fighter of the Year in both 2019 and 2021. At press time, the modern-day great was slated to face IBF titlist William Scull in a bid to reunify the undisputed super middleweight championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on May 3. Victory will set up a high-stakes superfight with fellow pound-for- pound star Terence Crawford in September. We enlisted the services of renowned matchmakers Eric Bottjer, Jolene Mizzone and Joe Rotonda to discuss 12 mythical matchups pitting Canelo against the legends of the junior middleweight, middleweight and super middleweight divisions.
champs Quincy Taylor (UD 10) and Jorge Castro (UD 12). Norris was a versatile technician blessed with blazing speed and jarring power. The Texan was also hot-tempered, which added to his killer instinct but also made him vulnerable against savvy punchers, such as Julian Jackson (L TKO 2) and Simon Brown (L KO 4), and prone to disqualification losses (Luis Santana twice and Joe Walker). Eric Bottjer: “At 154 pounds, Canelo was establishing himself as a star and a great fighter. In the early 1990s, Norris did the same, with less star appeal. But in this case, Norris has a bit more. He was a monster – vulnerable, yes, but with incredible speed and power. He gets Canelo in trouble at least once and wins a close decision.” Jolene Mizzone: “I would have to lean towards Canelo on this one. I think that Canelo’s style and strength would make all the difference in this fight. Canelo by TKO.” Joe Rotonda: “Love Terry Norris. Similar to Canelo, they are always in entertaining fights. I think Terry will give Canelo fits early on with his speed and unorthodox combinations. I can see him ahead on the scorecards. However, his ability to find himself in reckless exchanges will ultimately lead to a Canelo stoppage later in the fight.”
MEXICO’S MODERN- DAY SUPERSTAR TAKES ON TITLEHOLDERS OF THE PAST IN 12 MYTHICAL MATCHUPS By Anson Wainwright
For almost a decade, Saul “Canelo” Alvarez has been the biggest boxing attraction in North America. The Mexican conqueror has claimed world titles in four divisions – junior middleweight, middleweight, super middleweight and light heavyweight – in a career that already merits first- ballot induction to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Canelo’s resume is a tour through some of the past and present marquee names in boxing: Shane Mosley (UD 12), Austin Trout (UD 12), Erislandy Lara (SD 12), Miguel Cotto (UD 12), Gennadiy Golovkin (D 12/MD 12/UD 12), Sergey Kovalev (KO 11), Callum Smith (UD 12), Billy Joe Saunders (TKO 8) and Caleb Plant (TKO 11). His two losses were against the elite: a premature attempt to dethrone the vastly more experienced Floyd Mayweather Jr. (L MD 12) and a stylistic nightmare against light heavyweight king Dmitry Bivol (L UD 12). In bending opponents to his will during his early career, Canelo showed a willingness to fight in the trenches and made liberal use of powerful, accurate body punches, which endeared him to Mexican fans eager to find a successor to the great Julio Cesar Chavez. Through a combination of HBO exposure, youthful aggression and distinctive red hair, Canelo quickly crossed over into the U.S. boxing mainstream, starting in 2011 with a 12-round shutout of Ricky Hatton’s little brother, Matthew. Two and a half years later, Canelo picked the wrong night to prove he
Canelo 2-1
CANELO vs. TERRY NORRIS (at junior middleweight)
CANELO vs. THOMAS HEARNS (at junior middleweight)
Norris might have the lowest pop- culture name recognition among the opponents in this feature, but he is arguably the finest 154-pound champion of all time. The fierce boxer- puncher faced 19 world titleholders during his 12-year pro career, defeating the legendary likes of Sugar Ray Leonard (UD 12) and Donald Curry (KO 8), reigning beltholders Meldrick Taylor (TKO 4), Maurice Blocker (TKO 2) and Paul Vaden (UD 12), as well as future middleweight
the Greats
Standing 6-foot-1 with a 78-inch wingspan, Hearns was freakishly tall and rangy for a welterweight, where he stopped 30 of 32 opponents prior to his epic championship showdown with Sugar Ray Leonard in 1981. Hearns remained world-class as he climbed the divisions, thanks to his large frame, superb punching technique and explosive athleticism,
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