Juan Manuel Marquez found it nigh impossible to tackle a top 10 list of Mexican fighters, yet naming the greatest champion his country has ever produced seemed a far more straightforward task.
The Hall of Famer is widely regarded as an all-time top 10 Mexican warrior himself, having claimed world title glory across four weight divisions.
Perhaps most notably, Marquez shared four iconic battles with Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao, ending their last encounter in 2012 with a devastating sixth-round finish.
Elsewhere in his career, ‘Dinamita’ made several successful title defences between feather, super-feather and lightweight, before calling time on his 64-fight campaign in 2014.
But while Marquez is certainly one of the finest fighters his nation has ever produced, a position on the all-time top 10, even for him, remains fiercely competitive.
When discussing Mexican greats, the first name that typically springs to mind is Julio Cesar Chavez, who amassed an astonishing 90-fight unbeaten run before losing to Frankie Randall in 1994.
Along with him, the likes of Ruben Olivares, Carlos Zarate and Salvador Sanchez equally deserve a mention, while many would also regard Canelo Alvarez as an all-time top 10 Mexican fighter.
Speaking on an episode of the ProBox TV podcast, Marquez did not give a definitive top 10 but insisted that Chavez is “unquestionably the best”.
“The history of Mexican boxing is very rich. It is difficult [to list a top 10]. [There’s] Ruben Olivares, Carlos Zarate, Lupe Pintor, Salvador Sanchez, to name a few.
“Because the history of boxing in Mexico is very rich – [Marco Antonio] Barrera, [Erik] Morales, [Julio Cesar] Chavez – I put myself last. Chavez is unquestionably the best… Ricardo Lopez, Humberto Gonzalez.”
Lopez retired with an unbeaten record of 51-0-1 (38 KOs) after becoming a two-weight world champion, while Gonzalez became a three-time world champion at light-flyweight.
Barrera and Morales, of course, are also deserving entries in the consensus top 10, though it is a debate that will rage on for years to come, particularly as the country continues to produce standout talent.
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