By Dan Morley
WHEN speaking to youthful boxing followers as we speak, Canelo Alvarez is a reputation etched in all-time nice Mexican boxing supremacy. Having watched Alvarez, from his explosive teenagers, remodel into the star of the game by compiling a star-studded resume, a number of weight titles, and a rightfully earned undisputed declare at super-middleweight, it’s simple to grasp why many really feel this manner.
But Canelo was nurtured in a rustic wealthy with boxing historical past, a nation that has devoted itself to the craft and, in flip, dominated boxing in a fashion solely few others can match.
The custom of pugilism in Mexico runs deep, a lot in order that the ‘Mexican Type’ has turn into a standout, fan-favourite means of breaking down your opponent. Mexican fighters embody braveness, guts, and spirit. Combine in sickening physique pictures, slippery defensive craft, iron chins, and unending stamina, and plenty of Mexican greats have conquered all competitors with brutal depth.
Canelo’s achievements throughout the previous decade are sensational, standing him amongst all-time nice firm. 18 World Champions defeated, tremendous fights with Golovkin, Mayweather, Cotto and Kovalev, simply to call a number of, and a dominant run at 168lbs so as to add to 3 different division titles, match up with any of the man Mexican greats. But it’s simple to neglect simply what number of Mexican greats paved the best way for the red-headed famous person and in doing so, pulled off otherworldly feats of their very own.
Lately, Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik Morales and Marco Antonio Barrera ignited the game with livid tremendous fights, etched among the many most vicious and dramatic ever seen. Fall again additional to the dynamic, super-talented Ricardo Lopez – as close to an ideal fighter as historical past has ever produced. An unmatched 52-fight unbeaten report completely personified the abilities and smarts behind his superiority within the smaller weight courses.
The ferocious punching Carlos Zarate starched opponents like no different, accumulating a world-class 52-0 (51 KOs) report earlier than tasting defeat to Wilfredo Gomez. The checklist is infinite, relationship from the criminally underrated southpaw Vicente Saldivar all the best way again to Child Arizmendi, who tussled with the immovable Henry Armstrong within the Thirties.
Nevertheless, even with all these names – there are three who, at their time, held the throne of Mexico’s ‘Best Ever Boxer’. They’re the three GOATs of Mexican Boxing.
3. Ruben Olivares – 89-13-3 79KO
Olivares honed a charismatic persona and thrilling type that made him Mexico’s beloved and revered champion. ‘Mister Knockout’ was the unique best Mexican boxer of all time. Held in prestigious firm alongside Eder Jofre because the unofficial ‘Best Bantamweight Ever’, this Mexican KO machine dominated amongst essentially the most stacked interval in bantamweight historical past. Throughout his first 62 fights, he had compiled an impeccable report of 61-0-1 58KO.
Having gained the title off Lionel Rose in his 54th battle through KO, the streak additionally consists of wins over nice fighters in Takao Sakurai, Alan Rudkin, Chucho Castillo and Kazuyoshi Kanazawa. The latter battle produced essentially the most brutal 13th spherical in historical past. Upon dropping the rematch to Castillo, Olivares regained the crown within the rubber match, defending it efficiently a number of occasions, together with a notable win over world champion Efren Torres.
A transfer as much as turn into featherweight champion, with a number of wins over champions Bobby Chacon, Jose Luis Ramirez and contender Walter Seeley, strengthened his resume. Throughout the latter years, he misplaced to Corridor of Famers Alexis Arguello, Danny Lopez, and Eusebio Pedroza.
A brief, stocky puncher, Olivares drowned his opponents with strain, pulverising them with punches that carried all his physique weight via. His type offered many entertaining wars, often beating his foes into submission, ending a legendary profession with 79 KOs in 89 wins.
All of this was achieved alongside a party-fuelled life-style, the place tequila proved as large of an enemy as any of his opponents.
Ruben Olivares
2. Salvador Sanchez – 44-1-1 32KO
Salvador Sanchez left such an indelible mark on the game in his brief profession that many consultants nonetheless declare him as essentially the most full boxer ever. A horrendously tragic demise at 23 years of age prevented Sanchez from fulfilling his infinite potential. Nevertheless, from his freakish accomplishments and in-ring capacity throughout 46 fights, there’s no denying he is without doubt one of the all-time greats worldwide.
Salvador possessed a rhythm boxers dream of, continuously bouncing on his toes but prepared and in a position to plant his toes and pounce with exact energy at any second. A fluid counterpuncher who stalked opponents with unrelenting aggression, Sanchez would endlessly make you miss while selecting you to items with pop-shots and mixture punches.
As savage fights wore on, his power elevated, and his focus sharpened. He had bodily and psychological stamina on par with nice featherweight champion Henry Armstrong. He had a robust capacity to take a punch, though it often slipped previous his afro as he pivoted round unguarded opponents with a unique approach of assault.
The type was not his solely standout. Extra impressively was the extent of competitors he was persistently demolishing with it. A recent 21-year-old Sanchez challenged the seasoned Corridor of Fame champion Danny Lopez for the world crown. Lopez, a formidable puncher, held a 42-3 39KO report. Throughout three years, the featherweight champion had efficiently retained the titles eight occasions, all throughout the distance, impressively coming into the battle off the again of an 18-bout win streak, which included the scalps of Ruben Olivares and Chucho Castillo.
Sanchez mercilessly battered Lopez in a masterclass of counterpunching en path to a Thirteenth-round TKO. After outpointing Ruben Castillo, a person who additionally confronted Chavez and Arguello, Sanchez as soon as once more stopped Lopez. In the identical yr, he additionally defeated future world champion Juan Laporte.
An electrifying battle in opposition to fellow ‘Little-Big’ Wilfredo Gomez, 32-0 32KO on the time, would give Sanchez his greatest KO victory to that time. His closing bout completely encapsulated his iconic endurance, stopping Ghanaian future nice Azumah Nelson in spherical 15.
Throughout his three-year featherweight reign, Sanchez scored 4 KO wins in opposition to prime Corridor of Famers and defeated a number of world champions and notable contenders.
Salvador Sanchez tries to tame Azumah Nelson
1. Julio Cesar Chavez – 107-6-2 86KO
Chavez, the best strain fighter in latest a long time, completely embodied ‘Mexican Type’ boxing, drawing report attendances of 120,000 Mexican followers to his greatest fights. His dominance via three weight courses offered the best unbeaten streak of the trendy period, a jaw-dropping 89-0-1 77KO report.
Throughout this 90-fight streak, Chavez clinically crushed all inside his means, amassing a resume of sensible champions in his win column. The best way he pounded an in-form, a number of division champion, Edwin Rosario, so viciously throughout an 11-round masterclass was a standout stylistically and confirmed each trait Chavez had mastered in combating up shut.
His meticulous footwork lower you down, with each toes at all times set in unison, permitting for excellent steadiness. The steadiness allowed the top motion to seamlessly evade any punch the opponent threw whereas rapidly permitting every of his punches to maximise energy.
Up shut, he was a grasp of head placement, elbow and shoulder defence, and fixed set-up pictures to create the openings for bone-crushing physique punches and headshots. The strain by no means let up, and if you cracked Chavez with the occasional clear shot, it was absorbed by an iron chin and solely intensified his personal assaults.
Within the tremendous battle in opposition to speedy, slickster Meldrick Taylor – Chavez’s braveness and willpower had been on present. Down on the playing cards, requiring a KO to win, the accumulative injury this type had inflicted on Taylor lastly sealed the victory with simply three seconds remaining of the battle.
Throughout the 90-fight, three-division run, Chavez defeated notable world champions Roger Mayweather, Rocky Lockridge, Juan Laporte, Edwin Rosario, Rafael Limon, Jose Luis Ramirez, Meldrick Taylor, Lonnie Smith, Hector Camacho, and Greg Haugen. Additional wins vs. notable contenders Mario Martinez, Sammy Fuentes, and Danilo Cabrera strengthen the resume even additional.
A controversial draw to Pernell Whitaker and defeats to Oscar De La Hoya, Kostya Tszyu, and Frankie Randall, amongst others, rounded Chavez’s closing profession report to an astonishing 107-6-2 86KO. His 31 wins throughout 37 fights with world honours on the road stay the world report for many world title fights and wins.
Referee Richard Steele officiates the IBF and WBC light-welterweight title battle between Meldrick Taylor and Julio Cesar Chavez on March 17, 1990 on the Las Vegas Hilton in Winchester, Nevada (Deal with Sport/Getty Pictures)
