As Canelo Alvarez enters a brand new and most definitely ultimate technology of his epic profession, this is a excellent time to replicate at the most important fights of his long run Hall of Fame profession.
While the announcement that Canelo would face William Scull — a boxer little identified past hardcore boxing fanatics — was once a bit underwhelming, it’s the get started of a brand new bankruptcy for the tremendous middleweight boss.
It marks Alvarez’s first of 4 fights with Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Season and can be offering him the risk to win again the IBF belt he was once stripped of final yr after he declined to struggle the required challenger Scull. A larger struggle additionally lies in look ahead to Alvarez (62-2-2, 39 KOs) — if he wins — towards two-division undisputed champion Terence Crawford in September, which could be the largest boxing match of 2025.
Becoming undisputed tremendous middleweight champion once more can be a significant landmark in Alvarez’s 20-year profession, however there were many others.
Here’s a take a look at the 11 greatest moments of one in all this period’s greatest boxing stars.
11. Unanimous choice win vs. Matthew Hatton — May 3, 2011
At simply 20 years of age, Alvarez received his first global name with a dominant choice win over Hatton, brother of two-weight global champion Ricky Hatton.
“This was my first world title shot, but it’s the first of many and I’ll win them all for my fans, I’m going to be the next big name of Mexico,” Canelo stated after the struggle.
He was once no longer unsuitable.
Alvarez received the vacant WBC junior middleweight name and for plenty of boxing fanatics, it was once the primary time that they had observed him in motion.
Canelo, who had already been a qualified for 5 years, earned landslide ratings of 119-108 on all 3 scorecards on the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. He was once docked some extent for hitting Hatton out of a clinch however differently received each around.
“I knew straight away he was a super fighter — he was very strong and picked his punches so well. It was a painful night for me,” Hatton advised ESPN in 2021. “I was a career welterweight and he had a huge size advantage over me so I was really up against it. It was like going into battle with a pea shooter.”
10. Unanimous choice win vs. Shane Mosley — May 5, 2012
For the second one successive yr, Canelo recorded a career-changing win on Cinco de Mayo weekend, and this triumph was once the launchpad to greater fights.
Mosley, 40 on the time, was once a shadow of his former self, with declining reflexes and velocity. But claiming a victory over a boxing legend was once crucial spice up for the then 21-year-old’s profession and profile.
Canelo’s unanimous choice win was once leader enhance to Floyd Mayweather’s win over Miguel Cotto on the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas and rocked Mosley more than one instances as he landed 348 of 673 punches (52%).
“I didn’t expect him to be that fast or that good,” Mosley stated of Canelo after the struggle. “He’s up there with the top guys I’ve faced. Mayweather is fast, Cotto, all those guys I fought. He’s up there with them.”
9. Unanimous choice win vs. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. — May 6, 2017
National delight was once by no means doubtful when Canelo moved as much as tremendous middleweight and totally ruled Chavez on Cinco de Mayo weekend — after which in an instant introduced he can be combating unified middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin on Sept. 16, Mexican Independence Day weekend.
The most fun phase in regards to the unanimous 120-108 ratings in a one-sided, predictable struggle at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was once the launchpad to an excessively entertaining Canelo vs. Golovkin trilogy.
The boxing global had fun on the affirmation of the long-awaited showdown.
Chavez was once overmatched and the struggle overhyped, however his title (the son of the mythical Julio Cesar Chavez, a three-weight global champion) intended this was once a large struggle for Mexico. Canelo was once a lot sooner towards the largest opponent he had ever confronted. He had a 228-71 edge in punches landed and an 83-15 merit in jabs landed.
Canelo’s victory cleared the way in which for Golovkin and possibly gave Alvarez the boldness he may just compete past middleweight.
8. TKO8 win vs. Billy Joe Saunders — May 8, 2021
After a vitriolic buildup, Canelo passed out a spiteful beatdown on Saunders within the tremendous middleweight name unification conflict.
Saunders was once hit with a pulverizing proper uppercut in Round 8 that closed his proper eye and led to sufficient harm that it compelled his nook to prevent the struggle sooner than the 9th around.
Canelo loved the general 8th around at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, as he waved to the 73,126 fanatics in attendance (a report for an indoor boxing match) as he inflicted harm that left Saunders wanting surgical operation to fix a fractured proper orbital bone.
Saunders was once tipped to present Alvarez issues together with his southpaw motion and slick boxing, however Canelo delivered a efficiency that confirmed why he was once regarded as a best pound-for-pound fighter. At the time of the stoppage, Saunders was once down 78-74, 77-75 and 78-74 at the legitimate scorecards. This win noticed Canelo upload the WBO name to his WBC and WBA tremendous middleweight belts.
7. Unanimous choice win vs. Miguel Cotto — Nov. 21, 2015
Canelo was a two-weight global champion with a unanimous choice win over the preferred Cotto.
Cotto, 35, was once 10 years older than Canelo, however his enjoy as a four-division global champion led many to consider Cotto was once Canelo’s hardest take a look at since shedding to Mayweather two years up to now.
But Canelo was once too sharp and heavy-handed as he received the vacant WBC middleweight crown at Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
“I will always respect him and he’s a great champion, but now it’s my era,” Alvarez stated following the struggle.
Beating Cotto marked Alvarez as boxing’s subsequent giant celebrity following the retirement of Mayweather two months previous, and this struggle reportedly generated 900,000 pay-per-view buys. It additionally boosted Canelo’s standing in pound-for-pound lists.
6. Majority choice loss vs. Floyd Mayweather — Sept. 14, 2013
Alvarez’s first defeat simplest enhanced his popularity.
Canelo misplaced a majority choice to Mayweather at the greatest level on the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, in an match billed as “The One.”
One pass judgement on scored it a draw, the others had it 117-111 and 116-112 to Mayweather, who took Canelo’s WBC belt and defended his WBA name.
“Canelo is a young, strong champion. A great Mexican champion,” Mayweather stated following the struggle. “I take my hat off to him and to Mexico. He can take a loss and bounce back.”
Mayweather made Alvarez omit like no different opponent was once in a position to do towards him. Mayweather’s slick motion intended he may just outbox Canelo for sessions.
“I couldn’t catch him, he was very elusive,” Canelo stated after struggling his first defeat.
But Canelo’s efficiency on Mexican Independence Day weekend, nonetheless increased his profession to a good upper stage. The struggle shattered the best-ever report for highest-grossing pay-per-view struggle of all time, producing $150 million in income from 2.2 million pay-per-view buys. This struggle underlined Canelo’s talent to generate income as one in all boxing’s greatest attracts.
5. TKO11 win vs. Caleb Plant — Nov. 6, 2021
Alvarez was the primary undisputed global champion at 168 kilos when he stopped Caleb Plant in his 8th struggle on the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Canelo squeezed a pinpoint left hook via Plant’s guard to the temple adopted by means of a proper uppercut for the primary knockdown in Round 11. He adopted that up with a volley of punches to go back an unsteady Plant to the canvas and safe victory.
“It means so much to me, for the history of Mexico, to be an undisputed champion,” stated Alvarez, who earned a assured $40 million.
Plant was once at the back of on all 3 scorecards on the time of the stoppage: 96-94, 98-92 and 97-93. Canelo added Plant’s IBF belt to his WBC, WBA and WBO tremendous middleweight titles.
It was once Canelo’s 3rd stoppage in a row, a sizzling run of shape that showed his standing on the time as pound-for-pound No. 1.
4. KO11 win vs. Sergey Kovalev — Nov. 2, 2019
Alvarez, the reigning middleweight global champion, moved up two weight divisions and 15 kilos to attain an 11th-round knockout win over Kovalev to win the WBO belt on the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Considering the opponent (Kovalev was once a profession mild heavyweight), this good KO end was once higher than the ones as opposed to James Kirkland, Amir Khan, Plant and Liam Smith — all value trying out.
The landmark win additionally noticed a then-29-year-old Canelo transform a global champion in a fourth weight magnificence, a feat which leveled him with fellow Mexicans Juan Manuel Marquez, Erik “Terrible” Morales and Jorge “Travieso” Arce.
It was once a aggressive struggle early on, with Kovalev depending on his jab and Canelo concentrated on the frame. Kovalev’s measurement and jab restricted Canelo’s good fortune, however Canelo was once on best on the time of the stoppage 96-94 on two scorecards and 95-95 at the 3rd. Canelo’s velocity, power and combos got here to the fore within the later rounds sooner than he landed a left hook to the jaw that staggered Kovalev, adopted by means of a large proper hand which left him draped over the ropes.
“It was a very close fight because he was defensive, he was closing up his guard. All he was doing was try to establish points, but we knew what was coming. Inevitably it would come, and everything came out the way we had planned,” stated Canelo, who earned a reported $35 million for the struggle.
Alvarez landed 133 of 345 punches (39%) and Kovalev landed 115 of 745 (15%), in step with CompuBox statistics.
3. Split draw vs. Gennadiy Golovkin — Sept. 16, 2017
Some felt Golovkin was once unfortunate to not win their first struggle, which led to a break up draw in 2017 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
In the accumulation to the struggle, Golovkin-Canelo was once in comparison to the exciting and ferocious middleweight name struggle between Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns in 1985. But Canelo didn’t interact sufficient with GGG to be a vintage and Golovkin didn’t land the blank blows that experience taken out just about all his skilled fighters as much as that time. Alvarez tried to counter Golovkin, who was once the aggressor and busier.
Canelo was once harm by means of the response to the primary struggle, which many gave to Golovkin. That struggle did greater than 1.3 million pay-per-view buys. One pass judgement on scored it even, every other 115-113 to GGG whilst a 3rd pass judgement on was once closely criticized for a 118-110 verdict for Canelo.
“This is terrible for sport, for boxing,” Golovkin stated after the struggle.
Canelo was once even booed by means of some fanatics following the announcement of a draw, however this struggle was once the start of a trilogy that may cement Canelo’s profession, and gave him the chance to get the simpler of some of the easiest middleweight champions in boxing historical past to silence complaint.
2. Majority choice win vs. Gennadiy Golovkin — Sept. 15, 2018
A good PED take a look at for Alvarez in March 2018 compelled the rematch to be postponed, and solid extra dangerous blood into the combination, they usually entered their 2d struggle despising every different. Alvarez blamed tainted meat ate up in his local Guadalajara for the sure take a look at.
The 2d struggle at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was once higher and so was once Alvarez. The majority choice in his choose was once additionally debated, but it surely wasn’t as hotly disputed as the primary stumble upon. Once once more, there have been no knockdowns as Canelo received by means of ratings of 115-113 two times, with a 3rd scoring it a 114-114 draw. Canelo was once the aggressor and subsidized up GGG, handing him his first skilled defeat for the most efficient win of his profession.
“He was the one who was backing up, it was a clear victory,” Canelo stated after the struggle.
The victory gave Canelo the risk to transport clear of GGG, going 7-1 in his subsequent 8 fights sooner than their trilogy struggle.
1. Unanimous choice win vs. Gennadiy Golovkin — Sept. 17, 2022
Canelo’s trilogy with Golovkin, additionally at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, is a tale of controversy, redemption and in the end triumph for Alvarez.
The ultimate struggle, 4 years after the second one, was once no longer as entertaining as the primary two, as Canelo emerged a transparent winner over a then 40-year-old Golovkin. Alvarez retained his undisputed tremendous middleweight crown with a unanimous choice victory after scorecards of 115-113, 115-113 and 116-112.
But what was once necessary is that the victory helped Canelo to settle the trilogy with a must-needed win to answer a call loss to Dmitry Bivol at mild heavyweight simply 4 months previous.
“Everybody knows this is high-level class. This is the best fighter in boxing. Everyone knows who is Canelo,” Golovkin stated. “This fight is more tactical. Today, Canelo is better. Congrats to Canelo.”
Canelo has been unbeaten since.