Canelo Alvarez has revealed his definitive top five Mexican fighters of all time, making the surprising admission that he does not yet believe he deserves to be included among that elite group. While boxing purists, analysts, and fans around the world would undoubtedly regard the red-haired superstar as one of the greatest Mexican fighters to ever lace up a pair of gloves—placing him right alongside legendary icons like Julio Cesar Chavez and Marco Antonio Barrera—Alvarez remains remarkably humble when assessing his own historical standing within a nation rich with pugilistic royalty.
Like those revered Hall of Famers who came before him, Alvarez’s remarkable professional career has now spanned well over two decades. Even at the age of 36, the face of modern boxing continues to compete relentlessly at the absolute highest level of the sport, challenging the best fighters the world has to offer and consistently headlining massive pay-per-view events across the globe. Having already cemented his legacy by becoming a four-division world champion and a two-time undisputed king, the Mexican icon is now fully focused on the next chapter of his storied career as he looks to reclaim his prestigious WBC super-middleweight belt.
This upcoming quest for redemption comes in the wake of a grueling test in September 2025, when Alvarez suffered a unanimous decision defeat to pound-for-pound maestro Terence Crawford in a bout that heavily defined the historical landscape of the era. Rather than letting the setback slow him down, Alvarez immediately set his sights on returning to the championship throne. In order to accomplish that goal, he must first dethrone the formidable world super-middleweight champion Christian Mbilli. The high-stakes championship clash is scheduled to take place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on October 31, drawing the attention of the entire sporting world.
And should he emerge victorious under the bright lights of the Middle East, Alvarez expects to embark on the final lap of his legendary career. He has openly stated that he plans to enter three or four more fights to further cement his legacy before finally hanging up his gloves and retiring from the sport for good. As part of that eventual farewell tour, the superstar has also expressed a strong desire to fight his very final professional bout on home soil in Mexico, providing a fitting bookend to a career that has brought immense pride to his nation.
However, as he rapidly closes in on a milestone 70 professional outings, Alvarez revealed during an interview with DAZN that he still views himself as standing just outside the leading quintet of historical Mexican legends. When asked to name the greatest fighters his country has ever produced, Alvarez provided a list featuring some of the most celebrated names in the history of the sweet science.
"My top five Mexican fighters are Julio Cesar Chavez, Gilberto Roman, Marco Antonio Barrera, Erik Morales, and Salvador Sanchez," Alvarez told DAZN. "We have so much history of great fighters in Mexico. I need to study like two years to let you know who’s truly the best."
While declining to place them in any specific hierarchical order, Alvarez did deliberately name Julio Cesar Chavez first, a gesture that is widely considered appropriate by boxing historians. Chavez, a legendary former three-division world champion, is universally regarded by experts and fans alike as the greatest Mexican fighter in boxing history. During a breathtaking career that stretched across generations, Chavez cultivated an astonishing 115-fight professional record, famously undefeated for the vast majority of his career before finally tasting defeat and being stopped in four rounds by the iconic Oscar De La Hoya during the twilight years of his journey in the ring.
The rest of Alvarez’s chosen quintet highlights the incredible depth, tragedy, and brilliance inherent in Mexican boxing history. Both Salvador Sanchez and Gilberto Roman saw their magnificent, dominant title reigns cut tragically short by fatal car accidents, leaving the boxing world to forever wonder just how much higher their legendary status might have climbed. Sanchez defended his prestigious featherweight crown against some of the most fearsome fighters of his era, including a memorable war with Wilfredo Gomez, before his life was tragically cut short at the young age of just 23. Roman, meanwhile, established himself as a master of the lighter weight classes, ruling the super-flyweight division throughout the late 1980s as a dominant two-time WBC champion with exceptional technical skill and ring generalship.
Representing the modern era of the sport on Alvarez’s list are Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, two warriors whose names will forever be linked by their brutal, unforgettable trilogy of fights that captivated the global boxing landscape. While their fierce rivalry defined an era of Mexican boxing supremacy, both men ultimately secured their own distinct, Hall of Fame histories through courage, heart, and undeniable skill inside the squared circle.
