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Canelo Alvarez And Terence Crawford Name All-Time Greats As Their Favorite Fighters

Originally posted on KO on SI | By Apratim Banerjee | Last updated Jun 22, 2025 9:23 AM ET

Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford are among the two finest boxers of this generation, and are role models for many. While both can execute brutality inside the ring, they maintain a humble and low-key approach outside.

Fans might have wondered who they idolized growing up, and during a recent interview with British host Piers Morgan, Canelo and Crawford answered the question.

Crawford, as he has done previously, named Roy Jones Jr and Floyd Mayweather as his boxing heroes. Roy Jones Jr won world titles in four weight classes - middleweight, super middleweight, light heavyweight, and heavyweight.

Meanwhile, Floyd Mayweather retired with a perfect 50-0-0 professional record. He is arguably the best defensive boxer and the biggest draw in the history of the sport. Speaking to Morgan, Crawford said:

He (Roy Jones Jr) was unbeatable in his prime. Roy Jones, inside, outside the ring, he loved to fish, he loved to play Basketball. You know, just everything about Roy Jones Jr, I idolized. And then, when Floyd Mayweather came on the scene as a young kid, I used to run to the house to watch him and Floyd. For me, Roy Jones Jr will always be my favorite fighter of all time.

When asked the same question, Canelo Alvarez named none other than Muhammad Ali. The Mexican pointed out that Ali was not only great inside the ring, but also a role model out of it. Canelo said:

Muhammad Ali. Because I like him as a person too. What he did for people, I like him a lot. He's a role model. He was a good person. [He] helped a lot of people. Not just because of boxing, because of the person he was, I like that.