Canelo Alvarez will be fighting for more than the WBC super middleweight title when he faces Christian Mbilli in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday, Oct. 31.
He’ll also be fighting for his legacy.
Fans have debated whether Alvarez could, or has, won the mythical title of all-time best Mexican boxer, ahead of Julio Cesar Chavez. But two well regarded boxing historians, Gene Aguilera and Don Majeski, say Alvarez would have trouble cracking the top five Mexican greats.
Canelo boasts a record of 63-3-2 with 39 knockouts and championships in four weight classes.
But Aguilera, author of four books about Latino and Mexican boxers, said he ranks Alvarez as only the 12th all-time best Mexican boxer because he never fought David Benavides, the Mexican American
star.
“Everybody in the world was waiting for him to fight David Benavidez for the middleweight championship," Aguilera said. "That's the career-making fight right there. And obviously, Canelo knows that was a big risk. Benavidez is younger, taller, probably stronger."
Aguilera said Benavidez had to move up weight divisions until the fight no longer made sense.
Alvarez, 36, fights at 168 pounds. Benavidez, 31, most recently fought as a cruiserweight at 200 pounds.
By contrast, Aguilera said of Julio Cesar Chavez, “when he was champion, he fought the best. He's just like the all-time Mexican warrior."
Biggest wins, biggest losses
Majeski, a renowned boxing historian, said one way to judge a fighter is by who he has beaten.
Alvarez defeated two Hall of Famers – Miguel Cotto by unanimous decision in 2015 and Gennadiy Golovkin by unanimous decision in 2022.
But Majeski says what’s more notable is Alvarez’s losses.
The first came against Floyd Mayweather Jr. in 2013. Majeski noted Alvarez still was a young boxer (only 23 at the time) when he lost to the legendary boxer.
Alvarez’s second loss came against Dmitry Bivol. Alvarez had moved up to light heavyweight from super middleweight and lost by unanimous decision.
The third loss came in Alvarez’s last fight against Terence Crawford. Crawford, who entered the bout 41-0, moved up two weight classes and was fighting at 168 pounds for the first time of his career. Still he outclassed Alvarez by unanimous decision.
“When he pushed himself, he wasn't able to win," Majeski said, adding that he would rank Alvarez somewhere between sixth and 10th among all-time best Mexican boxers.
More to gain than to lose?
Winning the WBC super middleweight title could strengthen Alvarez’s status when it comes to his legacy – particularly if he wins in convincing fashion. But Aguilera expressed doubt about whether Alvarez can do it in convincing fashion.
“I don't think Canelo's got enough left in the tank to be a knockout whirlwind anymore," he said.
Canelo has failed to knock out any of his past eight opponents, a drought dating to his TKO victory over Caleb Plant in 2021.
Meanwhile, Majeski found himself reflecting on Alvarez’s loss to Crawford in September 2025.
“Obviously the skills of Canelo had deteriorated enough to let a lighter guy beat him and where he was the favorite to win,'' Majeski said.
Mbilli could further expose Alvarez's deteriorating skills and, Majeski suggested, that could undermine his legacy.
Majeski pointed to Roy Jones, who was peerless until the final stages of his career, when he got knocked out by Antonio Tarver, Danny Green and Glen Johnson. Those defeats left Jones diminished, according to Majeski, as did Mike Tyson losing to Kevin McBride in his final fight of his career before a comeback fight against Jake Paul in 2024.
A loss to Mbilli would saddle Alvarez with consecutive losses and threaten to diminish his legacy, Majeski said.
Top 5 all-time best Mexican boxers
Alvarez's name is a notable omission on the Top 5 all-time best Mexican boxers as ranked by Aguilera and Majeski.
Gene Aguilera's top 5
Julio Cesar Chavez
Ruben Olivares
Salvador Sanchez
Carlos Zarate
Ricardo Lopez
Don Majeski's top 5
Ruben Olivares
Julio Cesar Chavez
Salvador Sanchez
Baby Arizmendi
Chango Casanova
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Is Canelo Alvarez the greatest Mexican boxer ever? Not even close
