ESPN named Saul "Canelo" Alvarez as the 2015 Fighter of the Year and the Mexican boxing superstar joined the elite list of boxers who won the award over the past 15 years.

Alvarez suffered a setback in 2013, when he absorbed a majority decision loss to Floyd Mayweather Jr. -- his lone loss of his career so far. Following the defeat to Mayweather, Canelo won against Alfredo Angulo and Erislandy Lara in 2014, and also proved that he is a big pay-per-view draw.

With the Mayweather-Pacquiao era coming to an end this year, Alvarez proved that he could be the next big thing in boxing, as he scored a third-round knockout win against James Kirkland in May, which was followed by a convincing unanimous decision defeat to Miguel Cotto in November.

Both fights got positive remarks from fans and did well in terms of pay-per-view, which are two of the reasons why ESPN picked Alvarez as the best fighter this year. He is now lined up with boxing greats like Mayweather, Pacquiao, Bernard Hopkins and Felix Trinidad. Below is the list of fighters who won the award before.

  • 2014 - Terence Crawford
  • 2013 - Floyd Mayweather
  • 2012 - Nonito Donaire
  • 2011 - Andre Ward
  • 2010 - Sergio Martinez
  • 2009 - Manny Pacquiao
  • 2008 - Manny Pacquiao
  • 2007 - Floyd Mayweather
  • 2006 - Manny Pacquiao
  • 2005 - Ricky Hatton
  • 2004 - Glen Johnson
  • 2003 - James Toney
  • 2002 - Vernon Forrest
  • 2001 - Bernard Hopkins
  • 2000 - Felix Trinidad

While Alvarez is now considered as one of the biggest stars in boxing, Golden Boy Promotions president Oscar De La Hoya is convinced that Canelo, who holds a 46-1-1 record with 32 knockout victories under his belt, still has a lot to offer in the coming years.

"Canelo has been fighting for 10 years now, but he's still only 25 years old," De La Hoya said. "I think the best is yet to come with him. He has grown as a fighter every year, learning from victories and his losses. Legacy is important to him, and when all is said and done, I know he will be remembered as one of the best in the sport."

Alvarez, who is the reigning World Boxing Council middleweight champion, is expected to face fellow middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin in a title unification bout later next year.

The 34-0 Golovkin, who finished second to Canelo in the race for the 2015 Fighter of the Year award, is the reigning International Boxing Federation, International Boxing Organization, and World Boxing Association middleweight champion. He is also the mandatory challenger to Canelo's WBC middleweight title.