Canelo Álvarez is undeniably a modern-day legend of the sport. However, the Mexican Superstar has been at the wrong end of public opinion lately. The reason being him supposedly taking on the easy fights since his loss against Dmitry Bivol. The saga continued when DAZN shared Ring Magazine’s top five pound-for-pound list. It featured Canelo in the fourth spot, whereas the guy who defeated him, Dmitry Bivol, was further down the line. This, as expected, stirred some controversy.

Canelo is coming off a dominant unanimous decision victory over Jermell Charlo in September last year. Meanwhile, Bivol just sent home Lyndon Arthur adding another victory to his record. However, the question is, who else was on the list?

Who’s who of boxing greats

The list had the likes of Terence Crawford, Naoya Inoue, Oleksandr Usyk, Canelo Álvarez, and Artur Betrbiev in that order. While fans had opinions about everyone on the list, the most criticism was about Canelo’s presence and Bivol’s absence. It’s worth mentioning that the outrage among fans might be caused because Canelo is the only one on the list with a flawed record.

While Crawford, Inoue, and the others remain undefeated, willing to take on whoever stands in their way, the riddle called Canelo had been solved twice by two boxers. What’s more, Canelo has refused to face opponents like David Benavidez and Crawford, adding fuel to the fire of criticism. So, when the boxing world discovered the Instagram post from DAZN today, the overriding theme in the comments was Canelo-bashing!

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Canelo Álvarez and not Dmitry Bivol! 

Canelo has been reigning over the super middleweight division for years at this point, but the responses to the pound-for-pound list suggest a rift between him and the fans. One user expressed discontent with Canelo’s presence on the list by asking, “Why is Canelo in this [list]? Bivol > Canelo.” Though Canelo strikes out because of his two losses, it’s vital to consider his past opponents and the length of time he has been a champion. 

Another user clearly highlighted that Bivol is missing from the list. The user wrote, “Bivol is missing.” Notably, Bivol has never held the undisputed titles and 50% of his wins came from decision. The next user highlighted the same fact, claiming Bivol is missing from the list! The user wrote, “Hello, Bivol is definitely missing.”

Also Read: Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol: Ifs, Buts and Canelo Alvarez

Someone else claimed Bivol is way better than Canelo Álvarez, writing, “Bivol over Canelo.” If Canelo and Bivol ever have a rematch, it will produce the superior fighter once and for all.

One user pointed at Canelo, not facing the best in the division as the reason for their disapproval of the list. “Definitely wouldn’t put Canelo there as he’s not fighting the best guys in his weight class,” the user wrote.

Despite achieving numerous milestones in the sport, Canelo Álvarez has fallen out of favor among fans as is evident from the responses. Do you agree with these comments? Should Bivol replace Canelo on the list?

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