Canelo is going to fight Badou Jack at Cruiserweight.

[Silence]

Beating Badou Jack (who just KO'd decent CW in Makabu) with extra 32 lbs would easily be the best win in 2023. And, that's not even close.

Standards.

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

Makabu wasn't just Top 10, he was ranked #1.

Usyk wasn't in the picture then, he hadn't beaten anyone.

Bredis the same.

These guys didn't start making waves and beating top 10 opponents until after Bellew and Makabu fought, when Makabu was #1 in the division

Only by the WBC. He wasn’t ranked #1 by anyone legitimate. He was #7 with TBRB in May 2016 for example.

Usyk was a Champion in waiting by 2016.

[JakeTheBoxer]

Canelo would be a fat guy at cruiser . He is short and flat footed. A terrible decision would be that.

He is chubby even at 175. And his cardio is even worse at higher weight.

[IronDanHamza]

Only by the WBC. He wasn’t ranked #1 by anyone legitimate. He was #7 with TBRB in May 2016 for example.

Usyk was a Champion in waiting by 2016.

Not the WBC, he was ranked #1 by The Ring Magazine mate.

I'm assuming that TBRB rankings was post Bellew but I don't use their rankings anyway I use The Ring's.

And he was #1 with The Ring Magazine.

Usyk might have been a champion in waiting but he'd beaten no one, he was barely world level then. Makabu was the #1 Cruiserweight in the world.

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

Not the WBC, he was ranked #1 by The Ring Magazine mate.

I'm assuming that TBRB rankings was post Bellew but I don't use their rankings anyway I use The Ring's.

And he was #1 with The Ring Magazine.

Usyk might have been a champion in waiting but he'd beaten no one, he was barely world level then. Makabu was the #1 Cruiserweight in the world.

He couldn’t have been mate. Ring don’t provide monthly archives like TBRB but they give you yearly archives and as of Dec 2015 he was at #5. He didn’t fight in between that period and nobody above him lost so there’s no way could’ve rose to #1. Drozd did retire so he possibly could’ve been #4 but no higher.

https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Th..._Ratings:_2015

TBRB was pre Bellew too, after the loss he dropped to #10 and Bellew went in at #4.

https://tbrb.org/rankings-archive

[IronDanHamza]

He couldn’t have been mate. Ring don’t provide monthly archives like TBRB but they give you yearly archives and as of Dec 2015 he was at #5. He didn’t fight in between that period and nobody above him lost so there’s no way could’ve rose to #1. Drozd did retire so he possibly could’ve been #4 but no higher.

https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Th..._Ratings:_2015

TBRB was pre Bellew too, after the loss he dropped to #10 and Bellew went in at #4.

https://tbrb.org/rankings-archive

I'm almost positive he was ranked #1 when Bellew fought him but going by that maybe he wasn't.

I'd have bet my life that he was but maybe I'm wrong.

[Citizen Koba]

Should have taken the L against Mchunu? He beat the shit out of him and stopped him. And Mchunu was one of the top Crusiers then aswell.

It just seems like clear revisionist history to me in all honesty.

Makabu was definitely considered one of the most dangerous fighters in the division in 2016, if not the most dangerous. Definitely more so than almost all those fighters you listed.

Bellew deserves full credit for that win, big underdog and expected by basically everyone to get brutally knocked out.

Mchunu II last year?

Almost universally regarded as a robbery or at best extremely generous to Ilunga.. and without that he wouldn't have had the ranking. Alsdo they even mention the possibility of a Canelo fight around 17 minutes in...

https://www.boxingscene.com/junior-m...canelo--163772

Read the comments.

Look I never said Makabu was terrible, not by any stretch, simply that he was the weakest of the cruiser title holders, that's all I meant by 'the weakest link'. Sure he was expected to beat Bellew, I thought he would, he's certainly dangerous but he's equally certainly a limited boxer and always was. And he was ranked by the TBRB around #7 in 2016 prior to losing to Bellew and never got ranked higher until all the real quality guys in the divison moved up.

Look I ain't saying anything controversial here nor am I trying to denigrate Badou's win - I'm extremely happy for him - there's no intent to smear anyone or anything like that, it's a mere statement of fact that Makabu ain't particularly long or tall for a cruyiser and despite dangerous power and a decent engine ain't hugely skilled. If Canelo was looking to snag a title at cruiser it's a huge step regardless, but Ilunga was the obvious choice and certainly more beatable than say Dorticos or Breidis... and we're talking about the 2020s here, not 2016 anyway.

[IronDanHamza]

Mchunu II last year?

Almost universally regarded as a robbery or at best extremely generous to Ilunga.. and without that he wouldn't have had the ranking. Alsdo they even mention the possibility of a Canelo fight around 17 minutes in...

https://www.boxingscene.com/junior-m...canelo--163772

Read the comments.

Look I never said Makabu was terrible, not by any stretch, simply that he was the weakest of the cruiser title holders, that's all I meant by 'the weakest link'. Sure he was expected to beat Bellew, I thought he would, he's certainly dangerous but he's equally certainly a limited boxer and always was. And he was ranked by the TBRB around #7 in 2016 prior to losing to Bellew and never got ranked higher until all the real quality guys in the divison moved up.

Look I ain't saying anything controversial here nor am I trying to denigrate Badou's win - I'm extremely happy for him - there's no intent to smear anyone or anything like that, it's a mere statement of fact that Makabu ain't particularly long or tall for a cruyiser and despite dangerous power and a decent engine ain't hugely skilled. If Canelo was looking to snag a title at cruiser it's a huge step regardless, but Ilunga was the obvious choice and certainly more beatable than say Dorticos or Breidis... and we're talking about the 2020s here, not 2016 anyway.

Well no not last year, I'm talking about what we were talking about when he fought Bellew, he'd just come off stopping Mchunu. That was the topic wasn't it?

I'm not talking about Badou Jack I'm talking about Bellew.

You said he was the weakest link at Crusier but he definitely wasn't at that time.

[SteveM]

That makes a lot of sense and honestly...I'm here for it. That fight intrigues me, Jack obviously isn't a huge natural cruiser or anything and he is old and faded so I'm not sure which way it goes. Think it would be fun stylistically though, bring it on for September

I never get this. And never will. Canelo is unified at 168 and there are deserving challengers there - most of all Benavidez. Or he can fight Bivol there.
He can also fight again at 175 either Bivol or Beterbiev or Gilberto Ramirez for an all Mexican dust up.

But no, let him fight Ryder in May AND Jack in September for an easy CW title. If he's allowed a tune up with Ryder at 168 and that is all it is then hold his feet to the fire for his 2nd fight of the year.

And we wonder why boxing is in such a mess?

[RJJ-94-02=GOAT]

I'm almost positive he was ranked #1 when Bellew fought him but going by that maybe he wasn't.

I'd have bet my life that he was but maybe I'm wrong.

You’ve probably just got your wires crossed, happens to me all the time. Maybe it was boxrec or something, their rankings can be a bit random. I can’t see any way Ring could’ve had him at #1 though.