Six degrees of separation is a theory that everyone in the world is separated by no more than six social connections.
In other words, you know someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows Queen Elizabeth. Or so the concept goes.
We’re borrowing the six degrees concept – well, sort of loosely – to connect fighters from the past to their more contemporary counterparts in our new occasional feature, “Degrees of Separation.”
Example: Let’s connect Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Super easy; we did it in two steps. Senior fought Grover Wiley, who fought Junior.
In this installment of the Boxing Junkie feature, we decided we’d try to link Mexican star Canelo Alvarez with the first fighter from his country to win a world title, Battling Shaw, who won the junior welterweight belt via decision over Johnny Jadick in 1933.
We already connected Alvarez with fellow Mexican greats Julio Cesar Chavez, Ruben Olivares and Salvador Sanchez. However, this one — Alvarez to Shaw — would be more complicated because Shaw (born as Jose Perez Flores) last fought in 1938.
We managed to do it in 13 steps.
Note: The country of Shaw’s birth evidently is in dispute. He was born in either Nuevo Loredo in Mexico or just across the U.S. border in Loredo, Texas.
Have a look:
Battling Shaw fought …
Tony Canzoneri, who fought …
Eddie Zivic, who fought …
Marty Servo, who fought …
Sugar Ray Robinson, who fought …
Joey Archer, who fought …
Emile Griffith, who fought …
Vito Antuofermo, who fought …
Marvin Hagler, who fought …
Sugar Ray Leonard, who fought …
Hector Camacho, who fought …
Oscar De La Hoya, who fought …
Floyd Mayweather, who fought …
Canelo Alvarez
Could you do it in fewer steps? Let us know via Twitter or Facebook. Or you can contact me on Twitter. And please follow us!
Read more:
Degrees of separation: Connecting John L. Sullivan to Deontay Wilder
Degrees of Separation: Linking Filipino greats Flash Elorde, Manny Pacquiao
Degrees of Separation: Linking Japanese greats Fighting Harada and Naoya Inoue
Degrees of Separation: Linking Tyson Fury to first U.K.-born heavyweight champ
Degrees of Separation: Connecting Canelo Alvarez with Mexican legends
Degrees of Separation: Linking the Mayweathers
Degrees of Separation: Linking Manny Pacquiao to Pancho Villa