Mexican superstar Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, a true all-time great and current Unified Super Middleweight World Champion, remains a dominant figure in the sport.
Road To Greatness | Canelo Alvarez
Canelo's Boxing Journey
Santos Saul Alvarez Barragan was born on July 18, 1990, in Guadalajara, Mexico. Growing up, he was nicknamed "Canelo," the Spanish word for "Cinnamon," due to his red hair and freckled face. All of the Alvarez boys were boxers, and, by the age of 10, Saul’s interest in pugilism had reached its peak, motivating the youngest son to use his fists to take out his frustrations.
“When I was a little kid, I was always fighting,” Alvarez said. “I was always beating the other kids up.”
Canelo went 44-2 (12 KOs) as an amateur starting at the age of 13, winning a silver medal at the Junior Mexican National Championships and becoming the Junior Mexican National Champion after that. A 15-year-old Alvarez made his professional debut with a fourth-round TKO of Abraham Gonzalez in September 2005, also stopping his second opponent, Pablo Alvarado, in the second round that November.
Alvarez rose to 23-0-1 (16 KOs) in 2008 by going 8-0 (4 KOs), including an 11th-round stoppage of previously unbeaten Gabriel Martinez in April, a 10-round unanimous decision in a rematch with Wilfredo Vazquez in June, and a first-round TKO of hammer-fisted Raul Pinzon in December. Among Alvarez’s stoppages in 2009 were that in the first round over Luis Antonio Fitch (January), an 11th-round TKO of Euri Gonzalez (February) and a 10th-round TKO of Carlose Leonardo Herrera (September).
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The stoppage streak continued for Alvarez in 2010, where he went 5-0 (4 KOs). That run included a three-knockdown third-round of Brian Camechis (March), a one-knockdown, ninth-round TKO of Jose Miguel Cotto (May) and a two-knockdown, sixth-round TKO of Luciano Leonel Cuello (July).
Cotto vs. Alvarez went 4-0 (3 KOs) in 2011, following a 12-round unanimous decision over Englishman Matthew Hatton (March) for the WBC super welterweight crown in with TKOs over Ryan Rhodes (June), Alfonso Gomez (September) and former champion Kermit Cintron (November).
In 2012, Alvarez’s fourth and fifth title defenses came via a 12-round unanimous decision over three-division champion Shane Mosley (May) and a three-knockdown, fifth-round stoppage of Josesito Lopez (September). Alvarez scored a unanimous decision unification victory over Austin Trout in April 2013, adding Trout’s WBA crown to his WBC title. But Alvarez’s six title defenses were ended by a majority decision loss to the great Floyd Mayweather Jr. in September 2013, a bout that dethroned the then-23-year-old as WBA/WBC junior middleweight champion.
Alvarez rebounded in 2014 with a 10th-round TKO of former champion Alfredo Angulo in March followed in July by a split-decision over left-handed Cuban two-division champion Erislandy Lara
In 2015, Alvarez followed a third-round TKO of left-handed title challenger James Kirkland (May) - who entered at 32-1 (28 KOs) - by earning his second crown in as many divisions via unanimous decision, dethroning Puerto Rican four-division titlist and legend Miguel Cotto (November) as WBC middleweight champion.
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Alvarez made two title defenses in 2016, a sixth-round knockout of Amir Khan (May) and a three-knockdown, ninth-round KO of Liam Smith (September), who entered at 23-0-1 (16 KOs). In 2017, Alvarez rose in weight for a non-title unanimous decision victory in a 164-pound all-Mexican clash over former champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (May) before battling to a draw with unbeaten IBF/WBA/WBC title holder Gennady Golovkin (September). Canelo vs. Alvarez and Golovkin met again in September 2018. This time, “Canelo” outboxed and outpunched Golovkin to win a 12-round majority decision victory, dethroning Golovkin and becoming the new unified world middleweight world champion.
Back at 160 in May 2019, Alvarez won a 12-round unanimous decision over southpaw Daniel Jacobs, adding Jacobs’ IBF crown to his WBA and WBC titles. Alvarez then rose two weight classes in November 2019 to become a four-division champion, scoring a sensational 11th-round knockout over WBO 175-pound titleholder Sergey Kovalev. Returning to 168 in December 2020, Alvarez won a 12-round unanimous decision over previously unbeaten Callum Smith in a clash for the division’s WBA and WBC crowns.
Now the face of boxing, Alvarez kicked off 2021 with a third-round KO of challenger Avni Yildirum in February. He added the WBO 168-pound title to his collection that May when he stopped previously unbeaten southpaw Billy Joe Saunders (May). The win set the stage for a showdown versus undefeated IBF super middleweight champ Caleb Plant in a battle to crown the first ever undisputed 168-pound champion in the four-belt era. The highly anticipated battle took place on November 6, 2021, in front of a sold-out crowd at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Plant flashed the boxing skills that made him a champion but Alvarez was unrelenting, scoring two knockdowns in the eleventh to force a stoppage in that frame and not only become the first undisputed 168-pound champion in the four-belt era but also being the first fighter of Mexican descent to accomplish the feat.
Alvarez split bouts in 2022, losing by unanimous decision to unbeaten WBA 175-pound champion Dimitrio Bivol in May before dominating Golovkin via unanimous decision in their third bout to to successfully defend his undisputed 168-pound title. In May 2022, Alvarez notched his sixth defense of those belts, winning a wide unanimous decision over John Ryder.
On Saturday, September 30, 2023, Alvarez successfully defended his world titles by dropping Jermell Charlo on his way to a dominant unanimous decision.
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On Saturday, May 4, Álvarez turned in a vintage performance by dropping the previously unbeaten Jaime Munguia on his way to earning a unanimous decision in the all-Mexican clash headlining a PBC Pay-Per-View event on Prime Video from T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Making the fourth defense of his WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO 168-pound world titles, Canelo delivered another Cinco de Mayo weekend masterpiece as he took home the decision by scores of 117-110, 116-111 and 115-112.
Elbow Surgery and Recovery
Following his fight against Crawford, Alvarez underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow in October to clean out loose particles. This required 12-15 weeks of rest before a full return to training. While initially expected to delay his return until May, Alvarez has chosen to extend his rest period. Canelo Alvarez is continuing his recovery from elbow surgery after his unanimous decision loss to Terence Crawford last September.
Hiatus from Cinco de Mayo Weekend Fight
Saul "Canelo" Alvarez will forego his annual Cinco de Mayo weekend fight in 2026. Alvarez has fought within a week of May 5, a Mexican-American celebration of Mexico's victory over France in the Battle of Puebla in 1862, every year except the COVID year of 2020, going back to 2019. He has fought 12 times around Cinco de Mayo, dating back to 2007.
Alvarez's decision to skip his May outing clears the path for the May 2 fight between WBC light heavyweight champion David Benavidez and unified cruiserweight champion Gilberto "Zurdo" Ramirez - two boxers of Mexican heritage - to dominate the marquee that weekend in the boxing world.
Potential Rematch with Terence Crawford
Mexican fighter Canelo Alvarez's tradition of fighting around Cinco de Mayo is taking a hiatus, according to his trainer Eddy Reynoso, as the 35-year-old is angling toward a rematch against Terence Crawford around Mexico's Independence Day on Sept. 16. Alvarez, however, has chosen to extend his rest period and simultaneously give himself more time to negotiate the fight he really wants in 2026 - a rematch with Terence Crawford.
Crawford defeated Alvarez by unanimous decision this past September at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to become the first three-weight undisputed champion of the four-belt era. The historic fight generated a gate of $47 million, the third-highest in boxing history, and drew more than 41 million viewers on Netflix.
Alvarez revealed during a recent appearance on TV Azteca that he wants to face Crawford for a second time in the second quarter of 2026. During Alvarez’s time on the show, it was also revealed that ‘Bud’ has been responsive to talks of a rematch.
For me yes, it's option A (Crawford). I knew that plan A was the rematch with Terence Crawford, that's why Saul undergoes this surgery on an elbow. And I knew that they intended to seek revenge. He was obviously surprised by a Crawford who spent a year working precisely to face Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez
Other Potential Opponents
While a rematch with Crawford is the primary target, other options are being considered. Eddy Reynoso, his trainer and manager, already ruled out the possibility of Alvarez fighting in the first half of 2026 and will instead look to get him going in September.
According to reports from Salvador Rodriguez of ESPN, "However, I've just been told there's an interesting option B. I'm working on it with my sources, there's another option that may come up very soon."
IBF Super Middleweight Title
The IBF is ready to crown a new super middleweight champion. Terence Crawford recently announced that he was officially retiring following his win over Canelo Alvarez on September 13 in Las Vegas. The sanctioning body declared that it received confirmation of Crawford’s decision.
The IBF has informed The Ring that Osleys Iglesias and Alvarez, its No. 1 and No. 3 contenders, will be contacted first. Although the 28-year-old has called for big-time fights, it’s unlikely that Alvarez will be his next opponent.
Future Fight Date
Alvarez will not fight in the first week of May, and his next bout will instead be delayed to September, according to his trainer and manager Eddy Reynoso. Alvarez has fought 14 times in September since 2006, and every year since 2022. Mexico's Día de la Independencia is a bigger holiday in that country than Cinco de Mayo.