Canelo Alvarez names Muhammad Ali and Mike Tyson on his boxing Mount Rushmore
Canelo Alvarez hopes to prove his greatness yet again with a win over Terence Crawford, but before he can sit upon others’ boxing Mount Rushmore, he first told who sits on his.
Canelo Alvarez is considered one of the top names in any boxing fan’s pound-for-pound list, and is widely regarded as the face of boxing.
With a record of 62-2-2, Alvarez has cemented himself as one of the greats of recent boxing, and for some will have certainly stepped into the all-time list.
His next hurdle may not be an easy one, though, as he will face an extremely skilled operator in Terence Crawford, though Canelo is the naturally bigger man.
Ahead of this major fight, Canelo has named the four men on his Mount Rushmore of boxing.
Canelo Alvarez names a middleweight king amongst Mike Tyson and Muhammad Ali
In an interview with Sportbible, Canelo, who believed he could defeat Oleksandr Usyk, was asked which four boxers would sit on his boxing Mount Rushmore.
Canelo’s first pick was a natural one – Muhammad Ali. He said, “Muhammad Ali – great fighter, he did a lot of things for the community of boxing, too.”
Ali, known as ‘The Greatest’, retired with a record of 56-5, and held wins over Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Sonny Liston, and many more.
In second place was Sugar Ray Robinson, whom Canelo called a “great fighter. Complete fighter.”
Robinson held a record of 174-19-6 and was stopped just once, not by his opponent but by the weather as he fought outside in 104-degree heat.
Canelo’s third pick was perhaps the greatest of the four middleweight kings: “He had everything. He moved good, fast, counterpunching, everything.”
Sugar Ray Leonard retired in 1997 with a record of 36-3-1, with two of his losses coming in his last two fights, and the other coming against Roberto Duran, whom Leonard later beat twice.
The Mexican star’s final pick was one of the biggest household names in heavyweight boxing – Mike Tyson:
“I really like Mike Tyson, obviously because [he’s] the most famous, the most dangerous fighter, so I think Mike Tyson.”
Canelo’s list snubs fellow Mexican legend
Though Canelo’s picks were all valid with well-founded reasoning, there seemed to be one name that one might’ve expected from him missing from the list.
Canelo has previously been complementary of his countryman and boxing legend – Julio Cesar Chavez, who was a hero for Canelo’s home country, with a record of 107-6-2.
Photo by The Ring Magazine via Getty Images
Even when Canelo defeated Chavez’s son, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., the Mexican icon had nothing but respect and admiration for Alvarez.
Of Chavez’s six losses, he avenged two. Only three men defeated him in losses he was unable to avenge – Oscar De La Hoya, Kostya Tszyu, and Grover Wiley, who Chavez Jr. defeated for his father.
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