He doesn't make them 100 percent direct, but if you read the dialogue of Branew, he set Saint Shanks as the Gold standard.
The misconception is that "Buggy Rivals Saint Shanks"
Then he turns around and says "Mihawks Swordsmanship surpasses Saint Shanks swordsmanship."
One is thought to rival Saint Shanks, the other surpasses his swordsmanship. Not one Rivals Saint Shanks, and the other surpasses him.
Oda explicitly added the Swordsmanship bit in there, right after a direct strength comparison.