Canelo Alvarez has an impressive resume, to say the least. He has fought against and defeated almost everyone who has laid eyes on his prized titles. The Mexican boxer has been holding all three titles since 2021 and is in no mood to stop now.

For the past 3 years, the unified champion has been fighting against the best fighters the boxing world has to offer. During these defenses, he somehow created a record unintentionally that not only shows his might but also the level he holds in the boxing world. But that glorious streak by Canelo will be broken as soon as he steps into the ring to fight Edgar Berlanga on Saturday. The fight is scheduled to take place in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, and both of these fighters are excited for it.

A streak like never before

After defeating Caleb Plant in 2021, Canelo did the unthinkable and unified all four major super-middleweight titles to become the undisputed champion. Since then, Canelo has been undefeated, and the only loss in his long career came against Floyd Mayweather back in 2013. The Jalisco, Mexico native has improved miles since that bout and is closing on a target set by Mayweather during his career.

Mayweather has defeated 22 world champions in his career so far, and Canelo is creeping behind that record with 19 wins over world champions. In fact, for the past three and a half years, Canelo Alvarez has only been fighting world champions or former world champions. However, this streak will come to an end when he faces Berlanga, as it’s the latter’s first title fight in his short career.

The Mexican legend is showing no signs of slowing down and will have plenty of time to beat Mayweather’s record. But within touching distance of such a prestigious record, the question has to be asked: Why did Canelo choose Berlanga?

Canelo Alvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga: fight for a payday?

Alvarez has nothing to prove to the boxing world, and he has already achieved everything. It is public knowledge that Alvarez has snubbed two former champions, Terrence Crawford and David Benavidez‘s challenges, quoting an unbelievable price to each of them.

There was lots of criticism against the champion, but he paid no deed to it as he is at a stage of a career where he can sit back and relax and fight for a heavy paycheck. The fight against Berlanga did not seem much of a challenge to Canelo, but the champion thought of the challenger as a credible threat. And with constant talking and smacking, “The Chosen One” has made Canelo excited for the fight.

In an interview with DAZN, Canelo made it clear why he wants to fight Berlanga and touted Mexico vs. Puerto Rico’s history as one of the main reasons. “I think it’s a good fight because you know Mexico versus Puerto Rico, there is history there.” Furthermore, the champion is impressed with Berlanga’s speed and size but considers it “nothing new for me.”

No matter what, the fans are promised to see an exciting fight between two great athletes.

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.