The warrior spirit of a Mexican fighter is often spoken about in boxing, a sport that requires an unbelievable degree of grit, discipline and mental resolve.
Any boxer from the South American nation has been, and always will be, compared with the greats from the past; all of whom have enhanced their country’s fighting culture.
Coming from a place with such a rich heritage of pugilism, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez has always expressed a desire to be regarded as the greatest Mexican fighter of all time.
But, while his career is not yet over, the 34-year-old will certainly find himself in an uphill battle to secure the coveted mantle, as here is a list of the fighters he must compete with.
10 – Juan Francisco Estrada
For some, the idea of placing Estrada on this list may appear bold – ludicrous, even. And yet, with the two-weight world champion nearing the end of his illustrious career, it only seems right to give him the proper praise.
By exacting revenge against Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez and Srisaket Sor Rungvisai – two of the sport’s most skilful combatants – ‘El Gallo’ can sail off into the sunset knowing that his name will be widely revered by those competing in the lower divisions.
9 – Carlos Zarate
After 70 bouts, Zarate retired in 1988 with 95 percent of his wins arriving inside the distance, earning him a reputation that would inspire fear among those in his division.
So, while carrying the type of power that could switch off his opponent’s lights at any given moment, ‘Canas’ was determined to maintain his championship status, thus making eight defences of his WBC bantamweight belt before losing to Wilfredo Gomez.
8 – Ricardo Lopez
Along with the likes of Andre Ward, Joe Calzaghe and Rocky Marciano, Lopez is among a small group of champions who retired with an unblemished record.
After making 22 defences of his WBC middleweight crown, ‘Finito’ stepped up to claim the IBF world light flyweight title before concluding his decorated career in 2001.
7 – Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez
Following his defeat to Floyd Mayweather back in 2013, Canelo – a weight-drained version of the man we see in the ring today – knew that he needed to make some serious changes.
And so, after his first two encounters with Gennady Golovkin – with both delivering fireworks but ending in controversy – Alvarez went on a terrific surge up at super middleweight, dethroning both Billy Joe Saunders and Callum Smith en route to becoming the undisputed king.
6 – Ruben Olivares
Shortly after completing his gleaming 23-year career, Olivares became the first Mexican to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
But before that, the heavy-handed bantamweight went on a 62-fight unbeaten run and then retired in 1988 after 105 outings in total, with 88 per cent of his wins ending via knockout.
5 – Salvador Sanchez
After claiming the WBC world featherweight title in 1980, Sanchez would go on to make nine defences of his belt over the next two years – a level of activity that is simply unheard of in the modern era.
During his reign, the immensely tough operator would secure victories over the likes of Wilfredo Gomez and Azumah Nelson, who is widely regarded as the greatest African fighter of all time.
4 – Erik Morales
While Morales was a formidable contender in every weight he campaigned at, his best days were most certainly down at super bantamweight, where he made nine straight defences of his WBC world title.
With that being said, ‘El Terrible’ really made a name for himself when he collided with Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera and, even though he lost to both legends, the performances he gave was what ultimately made each fight so memorable.
3 – Marco Antonio Barrera
Swiftly after he became the first man to defeat ‘Prince’ Naseem Hamed, Barrera joined a ferocious era of super featherweight champions including the likes of Morales, Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez.
Like any great Mexican fighter would, he tested himself against all three legends, losing to both Pacquiao and Marquez while beating Morales on two separate occasions.
2 – Juan Manuel Marquez
Marquez is perhaps best known for his brutal sixth-round stoppage over Pacquiao in 2012, putting a decisive end to one of the most compelling rivalries in boxing history.
In truth, ‘Dinamita’ – and Pacquiao, for that matter – was somewhat undersized at 147 lbs, but only demonstrated his exceptional talent by moving up in weight, earning an incredible legacy with sensational victories over the likes of Pacquiao and Barrera.
1 – Julio Cesar Chavez
By ending his career after a staggering 115 professional contests – with nearly 80 per cent of his wins arriving inside the distance – Chavez has a remarkably strong claim to be named the greatest Mexican fighter of all time.
The widely celebrated 62-year-old’s unbeaten run had lasted nearly 15 years until he lost a contentious split decision to Frankie Randall in 1994, before avenging the loss in his next outing.
Just a few fights before his first defeat, though, many believed that Chavez was lucky to come away with a draw against Pernell Whitaker, one of the greatest pound-for-pound fighters of all time.