Is Canelo Alvarez the greatest Mexican fighter alive? Well, that’s a never-ending debate with no concrete answers in sight. Unfortunately, Canelo’s former rival and boxing legend Floyd Mayweather recently got caught up in the debate. Although Mayweather defeated Alvarez comprehensively during their showdown back in 2013, he was willing to give the Mexican boxing icon his flowers in a recent interview with Fight Hub TV.

However, Mayweather’s remarks were couched in diplomacy, as he didn’t seem to give a direct answer to the question posed by the interviewer. In fact, ‘TBE’s’ response holds more significance following legendary boxing trainer Teddy Atlas’s refusal to consider Alvarez “the greatest Mexican fighter of all time.” However, ‘Canelo’ still got labeled with Floyd’s iconic phrase.

Floyd Mayweather avoids controversy

Fight Hub TV caught up with Floyd Mayweather ahead of his exhibition fight against John III this Saturday in Mexico City. Hoping for a clear-cut answer, the interviewer asked Floyd —“Is Canelo the greatest Mexican boxer?”

In response, the 50-0 boxer first acknowledged that Canelo is a “hell of a fighter”. At the same time, Mayweather highlighted that he didn’t find himself capable enough to start ranking legendary fighters who hailed from Mexico. Additionally, he also paid homage to fighters from Mexico who inspired him to embark on a boxing journey himself.

“Canelo is a hell of a fighter. There are a lot of great Mexican fighters. That’s not for me to rate fighters. I just take my hat off to so many fighters that paved the way. You know, for me to be where I’m at. Just, you know, throughout life! Canelo is a hell of a fighter,” Mayweather stated, steering clear of any controversy that might arise if he answered the question with a straight yes or no.

But, how does Canelo Alvarez fare when compared to a long line of legendary Mexican boxers that includes the likes of Julio Ceaser Chavez, Ruben Olivares, Salvador Sanchez, Ricardo Lopez, Vicente Saldivar, Miguel Canto, Erik Morales, and Juan Manuel Marquez? Well, Teddy Atlas answered the question clearly, leaving no room for speculation.

Is Canelo Alvarez overrated?

Teddy Atlas wasn’t particularly impressed with Canelo Alvarez’s performance against John Ryder last year. Calling him “overrated”, the 68-year-old trainer further stated, “doesn’t mean that he is not a real good fighter. But he is not the greatest Mexican fighter of all time.” 

Providing further clarification on his earlier comments on Canelo, which even got the Mexican star mad, Atlas recently explained to Fight Hub TV that he just wanted to remind the fans “how steep the history of the great Mexican fighters are.”

“I don’t think they realize how special the list, the laundry list of Mexican fighters that have won titles, that have fought with honor! And to put Canelo on the top of that list, I just thought it was wrong!” Atlas remarked boldly.

Additionally, Teddy Atlas believes that Canelo Alvarez lost his first two fights against Gennady Golovkin, and therefore, the Mexican icon with two losses on his record in a total of just 65 fights, didn’t deserve to be on the same list as some of boxing’s yesteryear greats from Mexico, some of whom have more than 100 fights under their belt.

Nonetheless, do you think Canelo Alvarez is the greatest Mexican boxer of all time? Let us know in the comment section below.