Oscar De La Hoya has challenged the prevailing view that Canelo Álvarez is a Mexican boxing legend after the fighter’s unanimous decision win over Christian Mbilli for the WBC title.
The 35-year-old reclaimed the WBC super‑middleweight championship on Saturday, rebounding from his September 2025 loss to Terence Crawford, which stripped him of the undisputed title.
After that defeat, many doubted Canelo’s ability to compete at the highest level again, but he proved them wrong by dethroning Mbilli.
He secured a convincing points victory, controlling much of the bout with superior technique and defense while curbing Mbilli’s aggression.
However, De La Hoya’s former protégé did not escape criticism from his former promoter, who pointed to Canelo’s low punch output as making the contest largely uneventful.
“I’m so f**king tired of 100 punches [being] thrown in a fight with no action whatsoever, and I know the fans are over it.
“We all miss those days of [Marco Antonio] Barrera, [Erik] Morales [and] Julio Cesar Chavez – that’s what Mexican boxing is known for.
“Canelo, do you try to proclaim you’re the best Mexican fighter ever? You couldn’t hold Chavez’ jockstrap. And I can name 10 other Mexican fighters who are way better boxers than you are. And they didn’t sell-out to fight in front of 15 people in Saudi Arabia.”
Although Canelo has never claimed to be the greatest Mexican fighter ever, most observers still place him among the sport’s all‑time top ten compatriots.
