Canelo Alvarez is universally considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world. 

In some instances, pundits and publications alike have slightly discredited Alvarez’s resume and haven’t listed him in the No. 1 position.

ESPN, for example, has Terence Crawford as the No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and Alvarez at No. 2.

How does Alvarez rank the pound-for-pound picture without himself included at the top position? 

“Terence Crawford, Teofimo Lopez, Naoya Inoue. It’s hard to pick one,” Alvarez told BoxingScene.com in an interview. “I enjoy watching Gervonta Davis, Ryan Garcia, Vasiliy Lomachenko and Lopez.”

Alvarez, the sport’s most sought after star and highest earner, will return to the ring May 8 to face Billy Joe Saunders at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas on DAZN.

Should Alvarez (55-1-2, 37 KOs) win, the WBC, WBA and Ring Magazine champion at 168 will further unify the division by adding the WBO crown currently held by Saunders (30-0, 14 KOs). 

“It’s very important for me to be fighting on Cinco De Mayo week again. I’m proud to represent Mexico on Cinco de Mayo. It’s really important for me to be fighting on that date,” said Alvarez.

“I just want to make my own history. The Canelo history, and that’s it. There’s going to be only one Julio Cesar Chavez. Only one Salvidor Sanchez. Only one Erik Morales. And only one Canelo Alvarez in the history of boxing.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter. He’s also a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube at @ManoukAkopyan, via email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or on www.ManoukAkopyan.com