Canelo Alvarez Will Soon Be World's Best Pound-for-Pound Fighter

Saul "Canelo" Alvarez landed a statement win against Austin Trout on Saturday night to unify the 154-pound titles.

In the process, he proved it is just a matter of time before he reigns as boxing's best pound-for-pound fighter.

While the 22-year-old has already turned plenty of heads, compiling an impressive 30 knockouts on his way to a 42-0-1 record, his resume lacked a marquee victory.

He got that by handing the talented Trout his first professional defeat via a unanimous decision with scores of 115-112, 116-111 and 118-109.

As the Los Angeles Times' Lance Pugmire points out, Trout actually landed more punches in this fight. He connected on 154 blows, but he didn't do so with any accuracy. He threw a whopping 769 punches.

Trout is a smart fighter with an excellent jab. So landing a high level of punches is not surprising. 

While this points to Canelo's vulnerability to getting hit, it also shows he has the quickness and subtle movement to avoid a flurry of punches from a quick fighter. 

But it's not his defense that is going to lead Canelo to being the world's best pound-for-pound fighter. That would be his well-rounded attack and tremendous power. 

Canelo's 30 knockouts certainly point to that. 

However, he's not just about power. He has solid accuracy and is always opportunistic—as he was on Saturday night. Canelo landed many big shots on Trout, and in the seventh round, he sent Trout to the canvas with a straight right. 

That was the first knockdown Trout had suffered in his career. 

This victory could very well lead to a huge showdown with Floyd Mayweather Jr. for Canelo's next fight. If he wins that one, his trip to the pound-for-pound fighter could be a very short one. 

However, I'm certainly not ready to predict that Canelo is ready to take down Money. 

Still, even if he loses that fight, check out ESPN's ranking of the best pound-for-pound fighters.

Not one fighter is under age 29! 

So, the question now is not if Canelo will be regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter, but when he will be.