In The Ring magazine’s latest rankings for super middleweight, Canelo Alvarez has been moved from champion to #1 following his loss to Terence Crawford last Saturday night. The rankings were updated on September 15, 2025.
Bud is now the Ring champion at 168 after only one fight in the weight class. It was perceived as a big enough win for Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) to give him the champion spot. He became a three-division undisputed champion and captured his fifth division title.
Alvarez’s Questionable #1 Ranking
It’s questionable whether Canelo (63-3-2, 39 KOs) deserves the #1 ranking because there are arguably four fighters listed below him on The Ring’s top 10 that would have an excellent chance of beating him like Crawford did, but in a more impressive fashion.
I believe 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 would beat Alvarez. #10 is William Scull, a fighter that Canelo defeated on May 3. However, I suspect he’d fight a lot more aggressively in a rematch after seeing what Crawford did to Canelo. Scull is better than what he showed against Canelo.
I rate his power, hand speed, and combination punching ability over The Ring champion Crawford’s. Scull didn’t use his talent against Canelo.
The Ring’s top 10 for Super Middleweight
Champion: Terence Crawford
- Canelo Alvarez
- Osleys Iglesias
- Christian Mbilli
- Lester Martinez
- Diego Pacheco
- Jose Armando Resendiz
- Caleb Plant
- Hamzah Sheeraz
- Bruno Surace
- William Scull
The Unofficial King: Iglesias
Osleys Iglesias (14-0, 13 KOs) should be #1 in my view, and I believe he would beat everyone in The Ring’s updated list for 168, including Crawford. The southpaw Iglesias’ power in his right hook, left hand, and jab would be difficult for Terence to deal with. He has the same reach as Crawford and cuts off the ring well.
Pressure Fighters Crawford Avoids
Having watched Mbilli, Martinez, and Pacheco throughout their careers, they would pose big problems for Crawford with their power, size, and pressure. These are guys who wouldn’t be cautious to throw, and they would attack Crawford relentlessly.
Crawford’s focus on maximizing his income and his desire to capture more belts means that he’ll unlikely choose to defend his undisputed super middleweight championship against any of these fighters.
Crawford’s Bait for Canelo
Terence hasn’t vacated his titles yet, as he’s likely holding onto them for the purpose of using them as bait to lure Canelo into a second fight. However, if he doesn’t get the rematch, Crawford will likely vacate the title when he’s ordered to defend against Iglesias and the winner of the Mbilli vs. Martinez rematch.
Last Updated on 09/19/2025
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