The boxers who could snatch the title of best pound for pound from Canelo Álvarez

Saul Álvarez has remained among the world's elite boxing for some years, however, it was in 2019 that he made the jump to number one place according to a ranking made by the prestigious specialized magazine The Ring. Although in 2021 having been crowned the undisputed champion strengthened him in that place, for 2022 there are two iconic welterweight characters that could snatch the award from him.

On the night of Saturday, April 16, 2022, Errol Spence Jr. took another step towards the consolidation of becoming an undisputed champion. Backed by the belts of the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the International Boxing Federation (IBF), in ten rounds he took the victory from Cuba's Yordenis Ugás and collected his third pack, that is, the one endorsed by the World Boxing Association (WBA).

With three out of four belts in his possession, he is one of them away from achieving the same feat of Canelo Álvarez. However, the missing title, endorsed by the World Boxing Organization (WBO), is in the hands of Terence Crawford, a solid boxer who has not seen defeat in his professional career. With the reflectors on their shoulders, in 2022 they could star in the unification fight where the 147-pound monarch would be unveiled.

Both Crawford and Spence Jr. are considered in the top 5 best pound-for-pound by The Ring magazine. The owner of three belts is number five, while the WBO champion is ranked third. In case of colliding in a brawl, the closeness between the two in the ranking and being so well positioned, could rank the winner as the best pound for pound in the world.

It should be noted that it was enough for Canelo Álvarez to collect all the 168 pounds titles to reach the top, although the rivals he faced to achieve it are not currently in the top 10 of the publication. On the other hand, the level of competition and spectacle that Crawford and Spence Jr. could offer places them as undisputed candidates for the position of honor in all categories.

For 2022 Alvarez also plans to continue collecting titles, a feat that he will seek against the WBA champion in the 175 pounds, Dmitry Bivol. If he is up to the challenge, he must defend his undisputed title in super middleweight against Gennady Golovkin to argue why he should stay in first place overall.

The only way the Mexican could remain the best pound for pound in the world is to go undefeated in 2022. Being the 168-pound champion, the possibility of defending his title in the ensogados against the possible unified 147-pound champion is almost impossible, as there are 21 pounds of difference, that is, 9.5 kilograms. In addition, it has reiterated its refusal to go beyond the super middleweight.

Although the fight has not been confirmed and there are no negotiations to hold it, at the end of his fight against the Cuban, Errol Spence Jr. launched the challenge and expressed his desire to fight Terence Crawford. “It's the match that all boxing fans want to define that undisputed championship,” he said.

Minutes later, the WBO champion responded via his Twitter account with a strong message. “Errol Spence Jr. Congratulations, great fight. Now the real fight will happen. No more talking, no more changing the side on the street. Here we go!” , is read on @terencecrawford's account.

Should it materialize, the fight between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr. could also compete against that of Canelo Álvarez vs Bivol or, even, against Gennady Golovkin as the brawl of the year, according to the show they can give. In each of these episodes, the protagonists must argue why they deserve to be at the top of boxing worldwide.

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