Carl Frampton has praised Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez's approach since leaving Golden Boy and becoming a free agent for taking on the very best in the world on a regular basis.

The Mexican superstar returns to action this Saturday night at the MGM Grand to face IBF super-middleweight champion Caleb Plant as he closes in on his goal of becoming undisputed world champion.

Canelo is in frightening shape for his date with destiny against Plant

In November 2020, Canelo finally reached an agreement with his former promotional company to part ways.

Despite signing a $365million contract with DAZN which guaranteed his next 11 fights over five years would be on the streaming network, he left with eight fights and $280m to go.

Alvarez and his legal team had filed a lawsuit for breach of contract against DAZN, Golden Boy Promotions and Golden Boy chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya and was announced as a free agent almost a year to the very day.

Despite walking away from a contract which made him the highest-paid athlete in history at the time, the success enjoyed by the 31-year-old since then has been nothing short of miraculous.

Canelo is the WBA, WBC, WBO and Ring Magazine super-middleweight world champion

A return to super-middleweight has been a blessing for the four-weight world champion who defeated Callum Smith, Avni Yildirim and Billy Joe Saunders in the space of just six months to collect three of the four belts on offer.

Frampton, who ranks Canelo as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, insists such bold decision-making at the highest level must be applauded.

"It's really refreshing," Frampton told talkSPORT. "I think what is really refreshing is how regularly he has been fighting as a champion.

"I think a lot of other champions should take a leaf out of his book. It's typical for established, well-paid champions to fight once, maybe twice a year.

Plant was left with a cut from a scrap at a pre-fight press conference and could have a long evening at the MGM Grand

"Canelo is looking to fight maybe four times next year I've seen him say, and big fights as well. You look at the Yildirim fight he had as a bit of a 'gimme'.

"But I suppose you're entitled to them every now and then as well. The list of opponents he has fought recently has been incredible and I hope that he keeps continuing to do that and that other top fighters follow suit."

As a nation, Mexico is blessed with some of the greatest fighters in history, with Julio Cesar Chavez, Marco Antonio Barrera and Ruben Olivares enjoying glittering careers at the very top.

Yet Frampton believes Canelo's impressive CV already ranks up alongside the greats of his home nation and 'The Jackal suggested he may well go down as the greatest ever if he continues to fight top contenders with such regularity.

Julio Cesar Chavez was a three weight world champion

He added: "Undisputed in any weight division is pretty incredible and he has done it pretty quickly as well and in not a large amount of fights in the super-middleweight division.

"So I think he is going to become undisputed, I think he is going to win the fight. I think that he is up there with the best Mexican's of all time and I suppose there is a conversation to say one of the best fighters of all time as well.

"He is certainly pound-for-pound number one as well in my opinion, at the moment, he's an incredible fighter.

"Obviously you have got Chavez and stuff and so many great Mexican fighters, but he's got to be mentioned and talked about alongside them.

Mayweather outboxed Canelo when the Mexican was just 23, but he has improved greatly since then

"The thing is, his career is still ongoing and he has talked about four fights a year for a number of years, it may not be a conversation at the end of his career as to who was the greatest Mexican fighter of all time."  

BT Sport Box Office will show Canelo v Plant exclusively live in the UK on Saturday 6th November. For more info go to www.bt.com/sportboxoffice