CANELO ALVAREZ will bid to become the undisputed ruler of a stacked super-middleweight division this weekend.
The pound-for-pound king will look to add the IBF 168lb title to his collection of belts early on Sunday morning in Las Vegas.
Standing between Canelo and undisputed status is the undefeated American Caleb Plant.
Should the Mexican get the better of Sweethands, he’ll further cement his hall-of-fame status and become one of the best super-middleweights to ever do it.
So with that in mind, SunSport thought it’d only be right to list the greatest 168-pounders of all time.
7. Nigel Benn
Benn claimed the WBC 168lb belt with a third-round demolition of Mauro Galvano in 1993.
Seven title defences followed for The Dark Destroyer, who is still viewed by many as one of the most exciting fighters of the last 30 years.
Sadly for Benn, though, he closed out his legendary career with two ill-fated attempts to prise the WBO super-middleweight title from Steve Collins.
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6. Chris Eubank Sr
‘English’ claimed the WBO super-middleweight in his ill-fated rematch with Michael Watson but was never the same after the contest.
He did, however, go on to defend his title 14 times, a run in which he defeated former IBF titleholder Graciano Rocchigiani.
5. Steve Collins
Irishman Collins has been forgotten by many boxing fans – despite having impressive wins over Benn and Eubank Sr to his name.
In fact, he twice bested Eubank in his time as super-middleweight – in which he never lost a fight.
4. Canelo Alvarez
The Guadalajara gladiator’s brief stint at 168lbs has been nothing short of emphatic.
A battering of Liverpudlian Callum Smith last December was followed by third and eight round demolitions of Anvi Yildirim and Billy Joe Saunders.
Should he get the better of the undefeated Plant this weekend and subsequently defend his undisputed status, he’ll soon be in the conversation for the greatest 168-pounder of all time.
3. Joe Calzaghe
Although he’s arguably the most underrated fighter in British boxing history, Calzaghe’s resume speaks for itself.
The Welshman claimed the WBO strap against Eubank back in 1997 and defending it a whopping 21 times.
In that run, he beat the likes of Jeff Lacy, Saiko Bika and Richie Woodhall.
And in the latter stages of his hall-of-fame career, he claimed the IBF, WBA and Ring Magazine 168lb straps.
2. Andre Ward
The undefeated Son of God is regarded by many to be one of the best pugilists of all time.
That’s in large because of his body of work at 168lbs after claiming the WBA strap in the final of the Super Six Series against Mikkel Kessler.
Ward, who is now retired, put on masterclasses over Allan Green, Arthur Abraham, Baika and Brit Carl Froch before eventually leaving the division to pursue gold at 175lbs.
1. Roy Jones Jr
The accolade of the greatest super-middleweight of all time goes to former four-weight champion Roy Jones Jr.
Undefeated at 168lbs, no one came close to getting the better Jones or his trademark ‘Y’all must’ve forgot’ catchphrase.
He dominated fellow great James Toney and cleaned out the division with knockouts in each of his five title defences.
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Source: Boxing - thesun.co.uk
