With each passing fight, with each time he steps into the squared circle, he puts his legacy on the line. And he passes the test every time. Canelo Alvarez could arguably be the most popular fighter in the boxing world right now. But is he the greatest fighter to hail from his country? While you could debate about it endlessly, Teddy Atlas has been clear about his side—the Mexican champion falls behind in the GOAT discussion.

Atlas, 68, stirred controversy last year when he called Alvarez, 34, “overrated” after his fight with John Ryder. He had declared on his podcast, “Canelo has always been overrated. Now, that doesn’t mean that he is not a real good fighter. But he is not the greatest Mexican fighter of all time.” The comment spread like wildfire, and fans hotly contested it. Now, the American trainer has expanded on his unpopular take.

When Atlas appeared in an interview with Fight Hub TV, he clarified his stance. The New York City native pointed out the rich tradition and history of Mexican fighters, who had collected titles and fought with honor. Juan Manuel Marquez and Julio Ceaser Chavez Sr. are a few of the names that are still respected. In addition, Atlas had in the past, in his assessment, believed that Alvarez, at 61-2-2, had lost the first two fights to Gennady Golovkin and had some lucky decisions his way. So, he couldn’t put him at the top of the list.

Atlas said, “Not a knock on him [Canelo Alvarez]. It was a reminder to the fans out there, the people that are making these judgments, of how deep, how steep the history of the great Mexican fighters are.”

“I don’t think they realize how special the list, the laundry list of Mexican fighters that have won titles, that have fought with honor! And to put Canelo on the top of that list, I just thought it was wrong!” Atlas added.

That said, the fight commentator recognizes Alvarez’s ability to pull crowds, fill up arenas, and mint money. Amid the growing criticism of the Guadalajara native for picking his opponents on his terms, Atlas seems to have his back.

Canelo Alvarez- the golden goose of sports

Atlas, in a conversation with ProBox TV, shed light on the super middleweight champion’s growing age and declared, “He’s slipping a little bit. But he’s golden goose, and he has the privilege to pick his music… Canelo has the edge and he’ll always have the edge. Because he’s the money guy.”

Alvarez will fight Edgar Berlanga next on September 14, and his unified straps will be up for grabs. The fans will patiently wait to see whether he will go for the undisputed crown after that or finally pick a fighter that fans want him to fight.

What do you make of these comments by Teddy Atlas about Canelo Alvarez? Do you agree with him? Let us know in the comments below.