By: Hans Themistode
Over the years, the number one spot in the pound-for-pound rankings has caused great controversy. Despite some notable names, both Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford have gone back and forth as the best boxer in the world.
Towards the end, however, Alvarez seems to have distanced himself from the group. With the 31-year-old recently winning every world title at 168 pounds, most, if not all, consider the Mexican-born player to be the best boxer around.
While Crawford is still confident in his own abilities, even he admits, with what Alvarez has just done, his position cannot be denied.
“Canelo has taken that spot now,” Crawford said in an interview with Max Kellerman. “That he just conquered the entire tournament for the year.”
As Crawford dodged, Alvarez was just beginning to claim his fourth and final title at super-middleweight. While Caleb Plant, Alvarez’s most recent enemy, proved slick in the first few rounds, the Mexican star broke his man’s system before scoring a stoppage-time winner on the penalty spot.
Although Crawford admits to playing the second fiddle against Alvarez at the moment, he views his position as temporary. On November 20, at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, Crawford will face former two-time weight champion, Shawn Porter.
Despite Crawford being considered a sizable favorite, many expect Porter to bring out the best in him. Even with three losses now being settled for Porter’s background to the likes of Keith Thurman, Errol Spence Jr. and Kell Brook, neither of those boxers could definitively shoulder the business against the highly ranked contender.
With Crawford on the verge of facing what many consider his first elite welterweight division, the 34-year-old sees his upcoming bout as an opportunity. If a claim can be made in the form of an injury-time win, Crawford believes the discussion of who is the best boxer in the world will be over.
“It depends on my performance this weekend. If I go in there and look spectacular and get Shawn Porter out of there, then we’ll have a discussion to talk about it. ”
