Canelo Alvarez Names the Next Great Mexican Fighter

The history of Mexican boxing dates back to the 19th century. Solly Smith became the first boxer of Mexican decent to hold a world title in 1897.

Since then, 168 fighters have held a major world championship. Boxing culture unites the people of Mexico, regardless of the region or state they live in, and you can't tell the full history of boxing without including the overwhelming contribution of Mexican fighters.

Julio Cesar Chavez is considered by many to be the greatest Mexican boxer in history. With grit and a style dependent on volume-infused pressure, the multi-division world champion became the standard-bearer. Yet, in the eyes of many, Canelo Alvarez became Chavez's eventual successor.

Jaime Munguia throws a left hook vs Saul "Canelo" Alvarez. | IMAGO/ZUMA Press Wire

Canloe Alvarez names his Mexican successor

Alvarez is beloved in his home country, but at age 35 and with 68 fights to his credit, the four-division champion cannot fight forever. As a result, choosing the next great Mexican boxer to succeed him becomes interesting. And recently, Alvarez was asked who would be next in line.

During a recent interview with Ring Magazine, Alvarez shocked the boxing world and gave his answer.

“I would love to pass the torch to Munguia. Why not? He’s learned a lot [under Reynoso]. He works very hard, and he’s a very good guy, so he deserves everything.”

At 29 years old, Jaime Munguia has won belts at two different weights. Munguia searches for the knockout with the layering of power punches, and if he catches the slightest opening, watch for the heavy blows to land. In his last fight on May 2, he won the WBA super middleweight title with a unanimous decision over Armando Reséndiz.

Munguia lost a unified super middleweight bout to Alvarez in 2024. Yet, the two remain connected through head coach Eddy Reynoso. Under those circumstances, Alavrez's choice makes sense. However, it doesn't answer another question that will appear:

Why not David Benavidez? Benavidez is an undefeated mauler who possesses mid-to-late-fight power and is the WBA (Super) and WBO cruiserweight champion. Granted, cruiserweight is the weight class between light heavyweight and heavyweight. Traditionally, the interest at 190 does not seem to be there. Outside of heavyweight, the middle division draws the most eyes and attracts the most attention.

Aside from that, Benavidez has always faced questions over how "Mexican" he actually is. While there's no doubting his Mexican roots, he was born and raised in the United States and is less popular among Mexican boxing fans.

Even the great Julio Cesar Chavez Sr commented on Benavidez, saying “In Mexico, he is not known, with all due respect. In boxing, they know him, you know what I mean. I consider him American. But he has Mexican roots, he talks Spanish, and hopefully he wins the affection of the Mexican fans because he deserves it!”

Meanwhile, Alvarez seems unwilling to retire. On September 12, he will face Christian Mbilli for the WBC Super Middleweight title. It will be his first fight since his superfight loss to Terence Crawford last year.

With Canelo's pick, he hopes the distinguished history and tradition of Mexican fighting will remain as strong as ever.

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