Canelo Alvarez will fight on Mexican Independence Day weekend for the 12th time in his career tonight when he defends his super middleweight titles against Terence Crawford.
It has become one of the great traditions for the 35-year-old to take centre stage around the public holiday on September 16, with millions of Mexican fans tuning in to watch their hero.
And, more often than not, Canelo has delivered. Of the previous 11 fights, he has won nine, alongside one draw and one defeat.
Can he produce the goods again this weekend?
Here, we pick out his five best performances on Mexican Independence Day as he bids to prove he is still the face of boxing.
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5. Carlos Baldomir
Canelo was still only 20 years of age when he faced the former unified welterweight world champion Carlos Baldomir in September 2010.
It was a big step up for the young contender and he showed some signs of his inexperience by going toe-to-toe with Baldomir rather than using his boxing skills.
The two men traded huge punches, but it was Canelo who had the final say in the sixth round.
As Baldomir tried to pile on the pressure after having some success, he walked straight onto a left hook and hit the canvas face first.
He bravely tried to get back to his feet but simply had nothing left. Canelo celebrated on the ropes in front of his adoring fans after showing he was the real deal.
Two fights later, he would win his first world title against Britain’s Matthew Hatton.
4. Gennady Golovkin 3
If his fight with Baldomir was a slugfest, his third fight with Gennady Golovkin was almost the complete opposite.
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This time, Canelo used his boxing brain to pick off the ageing Golovkin and bring an end to their legendary rivalry.
Canelo had somewhat fortuitously got a win and a draw out of their first two clashes and fans were eager to see how the trilogy bout would play out in 2022.
It came just four months after the second loss of Canelo’s career when he was comfortably outpointed by Dmitry Bivol.
It was obvious from the first bell that Golovkin had lost a step, and that is why this performance from Canelo is not ranked higher.
But it was still an impressive comeback display from Canelo after the Bivol disappointment, and there was no doubt on this occasion that he was the rightful winner as he boxed his way to a unanimous decision.
3. Liam Smith
Canelo has had some memorable nights against Brits over the years, beating no fewer than eight opponents from these shores.
Back in 2016, he knocked out Amir Khan in May, and four months later took on Liam Smith for his WBO super welterweight title.
Smith was unbeaten at the time and had made two successful defences of his title.
But in front of over 51,000 fans at the AT&T Stadium in Texas, Canelo produced a classy performance to become a two-time champion at 154lbs.
The Mexican great went through the gears as the fight progressed, dropping Smith in the seventh and eighth rounds.
It would have been easy to coast to a points win after that, but Canelo smelt blood and landed a sickening body shot to leave Smith in a heap on the canvas in the ninth round.
Smith tried his best to beat the count but could not get back to his feet in time. Canelo’s punch selection on that night was exceptional as he proved his pound-for-pound credentials.
2. Josesito Lopez
We head all the way back to 2012 for the runner-up spot on this list. Canelo had won the WBC super welterweight title the previous year and already defended it four times when he faced Josesito Lopez.
The durable Lopez had beaten former Floyd Mayweather opponent Victor Ortiz only three months earlier and was confident of pulling off an upset against Canelo.
It quickly became apparent that he was in for a tough night.
Canelo dominated from the opening bell and knocked down Lopez on multiple occasions before the referee finally waved off the contest in the fifth round.
Canelo has lowered his output in recent years, relying more on quality over quantity to pick up victories.
But his win over Lopez saw him find the perfect combination as he rattled off classy combinations to overwhelm Lopez.
He did not take his foot off the gas either, realising when his man was hurt and stepping in to finish the job in emphatic fashion.
1. Gennady Golovkin 2
The first meeting between Golovkin and Canelo in September 2017 ended in a draw, but many at ringside felt it was the Kazakh star who should have got his hand raised.
A rematch was swiftly arranged but was then pushed back to 12 months later after Canelo failed a drugs test.
This added extra spice to the second fight, with Canelo promising that he was going to take the fight to his rival after largely boxing off the back foot in their first encounter.
He was true to his word, staying in the pocket far more regularly to trade with the heavy-handed Golovkin.
Both men showed their toughness as they took huge shots and kept marching forwards for all 12 rounds.
At the final bell, it was difficult to know who had won. It appeared far closer than the first fight which Golovkin had seemed to control, but had Canelo done enough this time to claim victory?
The judges decided he had as Canelo was awarded a majority decision win.
It was a controversial verdict, with some fans and pundits believing Golovkin had been hard done by again.
But that should not detract from Canelo’s performance. He was far more aggressive than 12 months earlier and was able to hold his own with Golovkin in a toe-to-toe battle.
Canelo is the only man to beat Golovkin and this was his best display in their three-fight rivalry as he demonstrated skill and will to overcome one of the most formidable middleweights in boxing history.
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