Keith Thurman said Canelo Alvarez ‘learned from the best’ in Floyd Mayweather how to pick the right opponents.
And now having inherited Mayweather’s place as boxing’s top attraction, Canelo is ‘starting to make money’ like his former rival.
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Thurman told Fight Hub: “He’s Canelo, people love him.
“He has a huge following. He’s got a lot of enthusiasm. You could say he’s cherry-picked, but he’s learned from the best.
“He got beat up by Floyd and now he’s starting to make money like Floyd.”
Canelo, 31, has lost only once to Mayweather, 44, in 2013.
Since then, the Mexican has become a champion in four weights, most recently undisputed at super-middleweight.
But he was eyeing a title at his fifth weight after the WBC accepted a request to challenge the 34-year-old cruiserweight champion Ilunga Makabu.
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This would mean jumping two divisions and fighting with your natural weight on two stones.
Thurman, 33, said: “Is there a greater challenge for Canelo Alvarez? Most certainly.
“Are there fights I’d really love to see? Definitely. Are there any super talented individuals who can give him problems? Definitely.
“Does he have to do any of these? Absolutely not.”
Thurman has not fought since losing to the now-retired 43-year-old Manny Pacquiao in 2019.
But he will face 26-year-old Mario Barrios on February 5 in Las Vegas.
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