I had a brief but very informative interview with Canelo Alvarez ahead of his upcoming fight on May 2 against William Scull. Among a handful of topics discussed, I asked Canelo for the one word that came to mind. He gave us two in most cases—but they were just as revealing.
Here’s what Canelo told me in an exclusive interview when I asked him about Floyd Mayweather Jr., Jake Paul, David Benavidez, Gervonta Davis, and Terence Crawford.
Canelo Alvarez on Five Popular Fighters, ‘One Word’ at a Time
- Floyd Mayweather Jr – “Great fighter”
- Jake Paul – “Good businessman”
- David Benavidez – “Good fighter”
- Gervonta Davis – “Good fighter”
- Terence Crawford – “Good fighter”
Alvarez’s answers were short and sweet, but there is seemingly a clear ranking system in his response. Had he not taken a moment to ponder his answers, I wouldn’t be so sure, but when you consider what he said, it makes sense from his perspective.
Canelo Alvarez Shows Respect for Floyd Mayweather
Mayweather appears to sit on a level above the other four I mentioned. He is the only fighter Canelo labeled “great.”
David Benavidez, a fighter who Canelo labeled as “disrespectful” earlier in our conversation, was still shown respect. Canelo called the undefeated 28-year-old a “good fighter.”
That’s also the way he described Gervonta “Tank” Davis, whose record is 30-0-1 after his controversial draw with Lamont Roach Jr. earlier this month. Mildly surprising, Canelo called Terence Crawford—the man most expect him to fight in September—the same thing: a “good fighter.”
In most people’s opinions, Crawford would qualify as a great fighter—at least by the standards Canelo has seemingly indirectly established in our conversation. Crawford has been the undisputed world champion in two divisions, and he’s set to jump two weight classes to challenge Canelo at 168 pounds in September.
Crawford is 41-0 with 31 KOs and a shoo-in for the International Boxing Hall of Fame when he’s done fighting. It’s possible Canelo didn’t want to acknowledge a future opponent as “great,” but it seems obvious Crawford deserves the distinction.
Canelo Alvarez Keeps Jake Paul Out of the Conversation About Good an Great Fighters
The least surprising answer Canelo gave was about Jake Paul. The YouTuber-turned-boxer is the only one of the five that Canelo didn’t categorize as a “fighter.” Instead, the Mexican icon called Paul a “good businessman.” Funny thing, I don’t even believe he meant it as an insult. Well, maybe a little.
Canelo and Paul had a deal in place to fight later this year before the plan was scrapped, and the former pivoted to a deal with Turki Alalshikh that will include a fight with Crawford.
The two men traded barbs for a few weeks afterward, but both appear to have moved on. In fact, Paul just issued a serious offer to Tommy Fury—the only man who owns a victory over him in professional boxing—for a rematch.
Paul and his business partner Nakisa Bidarian also recently signed Alycia Baumgardner to a deal with MVP Promotions. She joins Amanda Serrano on the promotion’s roster as they continue to strengthen their stable of female boxers.
Love him or hate him, Canelo was exactly right: Paul is an excellent businessman.
