By Rory Hickey: I’m going, to be honest, I am a recovering Canelo hater. I used to find any reason possible to discredit Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez (55-1-2) and his accomplishments.
I used flimsy arguments such as “He’s not fighting anyone good,” “he’s being protected by Golden Boy,” and “the judges give Canelo every close decision” as crutches.
I have spoken many words about his record at junior middleweight being deceiving, how he did not really represent Mexico, and what would have happened had he met Gennady Golovkin when the public demanded that bout initially.
At a certain point, though, Canelo’s resume became undeniable. As much fun as it is to hate on him and root against him, it just feels better to acknowledge that we are watching a historically great fighter and just enjoy Canelo.
Canelo has a record of 14-1-1 against former, current, and future world champions. His list of opponents is a who’s who of top fighters in this era: Cotto, Mosley, Golovkin, Lara, Jacobs, Kovalev, and Amir Khan, among others.
He is only the second boxer to hold championships in three different weight divisions simultaneously (joining Henry Armstrong).
Perhaps most impressively, Canelo has achieved one-name status with the general public. If you say Canelo, the average person will know you are referring to Alvarez. The boxing ring is not the only area where Canelo has made history.
By signing an exclusive deal with online streaming service DAZN, Canelo became one of the richest athletes on the planet.
More importantly, he has helped set what the financial model of boxing will look like in the future, as pay-per-view buys shift towards streaming services.
Canelo Alvarez is preparing to face off against Billy Joe Saunders (30-0) for Canelo’s WBC and WBA super middleweight titles plus Saunders’ WBO title in front of at least 65,000 fans at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Saunders presents some interesting challenges for Canelo, the Brit is a lefthander, and his command of the ring combined with his unconventional defensive style could produce some uneasy moments for Alvarez.
Fight week itself has not been without drama. It seemed like the bout could be called off early in the week as Saunders and his camp were livid that the size of the ring for the title bout would not be 22 feet by 22 feet as they negotiated, but reportedly was not written into the contract.
Saunders’ team refused to budge, and Canelo took a rare loss in fight negotiations; Alvarez said he could give Saunders the entire stadium, and it wouldn’t matter.
The added spice should make Saturday night’s atmosphere with thousands of British and Mexican fans even more palpable; the event will likely set a new US indoor attendance record for a boxing event.
If Alvarez defeats Saunders in what will be a difficult fight, the two logical next opponents for Canelo are either Caleb Plant in a bout that would unify all four super middleweight titles or a third fight with Gennady Golovkin.
David Benavidez at super middleweight has a long reach and good power– he could give Canelo some problems if he can stay active and sober.
There are some interesting challenges for him at light heavyweight, including Dmitry Bivol, Gilberto Ramirez, and even Joe Smith Jr., depending on how good your imagination is.
There could also be a surprise name that would get fans’ attention– it would have been tough to envision Canelo facing off against either Amir Khan at 155 pounds or Sergey Kovalev at 175 pounds before those bouts became official.
Canelo Alvarez is just 30 years old, giving him plenty of time to add to his already stellar resume. He turned pro shortly after his fifteenth birthday, which is one way to celebrate a quinceañera, I suppose.
At 55-1-2, the only loss on Canelo’s record came in September 2013, when he lost to Floyd Mayweather at just 23 years old.
Alvarez said recently that if he matched up with Mayweather today, it would be a different story: “Without a doubt, I would beat him, it would be a very different fight.
“I am a more mature fighter; it would be a totally different fight […] I have more experience, I learned a lot.”
Unfortunately, Canelo will not get the opportunity to avenge the only loss on his record. Mayweather’s recent “fights” have come against Tenshin Nasukawa, a Japanese kickboxer, and Connor McGregor, a UFC fighter.
Mayweather will be taking on YouTube person Jake Paul in the summer, so maybe if Canelo becomes a social media influencer, he could get another crack at Floyd.
Eddy Reynoso, Canelo Alvarez’s longtime trainer, has popularized the mantra “no boxing, no life.”
In many ways, Canelo is the lifeblood of boxing right now. Canelo has shown he is comfortable with all the pressure and responsibility of being at the top of the mountain.
On his current career trajectory, whenever Canelo hangs up his gloves, he will be one of the top boxers of this or any era, haters be damned.