Canelo Álvarez

Early life

In an interview, Álvarez explained that he was born on the outskirts of Guadalajara, Jalisco, but his family is originally from Los Reyes, Michoacán. At the age of five, his family moved to their current home of Juanacatlán, Jalisco. Growing up on his family's farm, he learned horseback riding, which he continues today. Álvarez is the youngest of eight children, seven of them boys; all of his brothers also became professional boxers. Among his brothers are welterweight boxers Ramón Álvarez, Ricardo Álvarez and former WBA interim world champion, Rigoberto Álvarez.

Canelo in Spanish is the masculine word for cinnamon, which is a common nickname for people with red hair. In Mexico, it is common for people to associate red hair with the Irish soldiers who fought for Mexico in the Saint Patrick's Battalion during the Mexican–American War. Speaking about his ancestry, Álvarez once said, "There might have been an Irish grandfather somewhere back in my past."

Canelo's neighbors nicknamed him "Jícama con Chile", which translates as jicama with chilli flakes — a popular snack in Mexico.

Amateur career

Álvarez started boxing when he was around 13 years old, after watching his older brother Rigoberto debut as a professional boxer. In 2004, he won the silver medal at the Junior Mexican National Championships, held in Sinaloa. He became the 2005 Junior Mexican National Boxing Champion in Tuxtla Gutiérrez at the age of 15. His amateur record was 44–2 with 12 knockouts.

Professional career

Early career

Álvarez turned professional at 15, shortly after his championship at the Junior Nationals, because his trainers at the time, father-and-son team Chepo and Eddy Reynoso, were unable to find suitable junior opponents for him. In his first 19 months as a professional, he knocked out eleven of his 13 documented opponents, all of whom were significantly older. The elder Reynoso stated in 2013 that Álvarez had fought ten more times in that span, winning all ten by knockout (KO), but that these fights (apparently in small venues in the Mexican state of Nayarit) were so poorly documented that it was not worth the trouble to seek to have the record corrected. Were this to be verified, his record would be 73–2–2 with 49 knockouts. His weight fluctuated in his first three years as a professional including two documented fights within the light welterweight limit of 140 lbs—one against Abraham Gonzalez in Álvarez's official debut and the other against Juan Hernandez in his sixth official bout—before he settled in the welterweight division at 147 lbs.

Álvarez's third official bout of his career was a win over future IBF lightweight champion Miguel Vázquez on 20 January 2006, in his home town of Guadalajara, Jalisco. On 28 June 2008, Álvarez defeated Vázquez again in a rematch. He also made world history on that fight card when he and all six of his brothers fought on the same night, with Canelo being the youngest. The only downside was that three of them failed to win their pro debuts. The other four more experienced brothers won. On 6 March 2010, he got a crushing third-round KO over Brian Camechis in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas. Álvarez then defeated José Cotto on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Shane Mosley to retain his WBC-NABF welterweight title.

Light middleweight

His sixth-round technical knockout (TKO) win over Luciano Leonel Cuello for the WBC Silver light middleweight title was held at the Vicente Fernández Arena. During the post-fight interview, Mexican singer Vicente Fernández gave Álvarez a horse. He was also given a horse by the mayor of Tepic, where Álvarez sometimes trains.

He next faced the former WBC welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on the Shane Mosley vs. Sergio Mora undercard. Baldomir stated in a pre-fight interview that he wanted the winner of Mora vs. Mosley, as he said "after I knock out El Canelo." Baldomir weighed in at 69.6 kg (153.4 lb) for the bout, that was contracted for 68 kg (151 lb). In California, if a fighter is overweight he is penalized 20% of his purse and that percent is given to the other fighter. However, Álvarez declined to take the extra $12,000 from Baldomir. In the sixth round, Álvarez landed a crushing blow that knocked Baldomir out cold. With the victory, Álvarez became just the second boxer ever to stop Carlos Baldomir and the first boxer ever to knock him out. Álvarez then successfully defended his light middleweight title by unanimous decision against former world champion Lovemore N'dou in Veracruz. It was a competitive fight despite the wide margins on the official scorecards of 119–109, 120–108, and 120–108.

Álvarez was in line as mandatory challenger for the winner of the vacant WBC light middleweight title bout between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito, however, Pacquiao who was the victor, wrote to the WBC stating he had no intention of defending the title and it was declared vacant. On 5 March 2011, Álvarez defeated European welterweight champion Matthew Hatton via unanimous decision, for the vacant WBC light middleweight belt. The bout was televised on HBO and took place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. Álvarez was docked a point in the seventh round, which was uniformly scored 9–9, for hitting after the break. All three ringside judges scored the bout 119–108 in favor of Álvarez, who landed 47% of his 626 punches, including 53% of his power shots. Hatton connected with just 25% of his 546 total blows in a fight that averaged 1.4 million viewers on HBO.

Álvarez successfully defended his newly awarded WBC title against #4 ranked Ring light middleweight and current European light middleweight champion Ryan Rhodes. Álvarez defeated Rhodes via TKO in the twelfth round on 18 June 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco. The fight averaged 1.6 million viewers on HBO.

Catchweight

On 9 January 2014, Golden Boy chief executive Richard Schaefer confirmed a deal had been made for a fight between Álvarez and 31 year old Mexican boxer Alfredo Angulo (22–3, 18 KOs) to take place on 8 March 2014, on Showtime PPV at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. In March, ESPN reported the fight would take place at a catchweight of 70 kg (155 lb), due to Álvarez not being able to make the light middleweight limit of 154 lbs. For the PPV fight, Álvarez agreed to pay $100,000 of his minimum $1.25 million purse to Angulo, which would raise his purse $850,000. Also in the negotiations, Álvarez agreed to weigh no more than 76 kg (168 lb) on fight night. This was Álvarez's first of five fights which took place at the 70 kg (155 lb) catchweight. On fight night, Álvarez weighed 79 kg (174 lb) on Showtime's scale and Angulo weighed 77 kg (170 lb). In front of 14,610 at the MGM, Álvarez came out strong, throwing combinations. In a fairly lopsided beating, Álvarez scored a tenth-round stoppage over Angulo punctuated by a lead left uppercut. The end of the fight began in round six, when Angulo's left eye started swelling. When the referee waived the fight off, the crowd was displeased and booed. At the time of stoppage, two judges had it 89–82 and the third judge had it 88–83, all in favor of Álvarez.

Angulo stated post-fight how he was unhappy with the stoppage, "I told Tony he did the wrong job tonight. The referee tells us to take care of ourselves at all times. I can take care of myself. My plan was to work harder in the final four or three rounds. I had good preparation for this fight." His trainer Virgil Hunter was also unhappy with referee Tony Weeks, "I'm very upset. I told the referee and the doctor that if Canelo put two or three shots together that I would stop the fight. He landed one punch. Everyone knows Alfredo was coming on strong, everyone knows that."

Álvarez fought Erislandy Lara on 12 July 2014, at the MGM Grand in a non-title match. Lara's WBA light middleweight title was not on the line, as the fight took place at a 70 kg (155 lb) catchweight and both fighters weighed in at precisely 70 kg (155 lb). Álvarez rehydrated to 78 kg (171 lb) while Lara came into the ring at 75 kg (166 lb). In a very close and competitive fight that went to a split decision, Álvarez came out on top with two judges scoring 115–113 in favor of each fighter and the final judge scoring 117–111 in favor of Álvarez. The final scorecard was controversial as many observers considered it far too wide. According to CompuBox, Lara landed 55 jabs to nine from Álvarez, who landed the jab at a five percent connect rate. Álvarez managed to land 88 power punches while Lara landed 53 power punches. Lara's clean punching, defense and movement were weighed against Álvarez's effective aggressiveness and power punching. Lara came out in dominant fashion, utilizing a stick-and-move style and capturing the early rounds. Although Álvarez struggled with Lara's one-two combinations, Lara's punches weren't thrown with sufficient power or frequency to dissuade him from consistently pressing the fight against a retreating Lara, and he was able to hammer away to Lara's body when he had him on the ropes. Lara's lead hand played a huge role in his one-two combination's effectiveness, but his output dropped as the fight progressed and he became increasingly tentative. Álvarez was able to cut Lara with a lead left uppercut in the seventh round. Although the decision remains controversial, any talk of a rematch in the future was dismissed by Oscar De La Hoya who went on to say, "No one wants a rematch."

Return to light middleweight

On 24 June, it was announced that Álvarez was to drop the extra pound to 154 and challenge 27 year old WBO champion Liam Smith (23–0–1, 13 KOs) from England on 17 September 2016, in the main event of a card on HBO PPV. On 18 July, Golden Boy Promotions announced the bout would take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, after the MGM Grand in Las Vegas was the other venue looking to host the fight. Having fought his last five fights at his preferred 155-pound catchweight, Canelo said, "I am very pleased to announce my next fight against Liam Smith, a tremendous fighter with real knockout power, and the WBO light middleweight world title owner, I have no doubt that this fight will be give and take, which will fill the expectations of the fans, and I will work with all the enthusiasm as I always do to get the upper hand on Sept. 17."

In front of a record breaking crowd of 51,240, Álvarez regained a world title at light middleweight following a devastating left hook to the body in round nine. Smith was also knocked down once in round seven and once in round eight, in a fight where Álvarez was in control from the opening bell. Álvarez landed 157 punches from 422 thrown with a connect rate of 37%, compared to Smith landing 115 from 403 thrown, a connect rate of 29%. The fight drew an estimate of 300,000 PPV buys.

Golden Boy president Eric Gomez spoke to Ring magazine in December, stating that Álvarez had no immediate plans to vacate the WBO title and may fight in the first quarter of 2017 at 154, defending his world title. He also stated that there were still plans for Álvarez to fight Golovkin later in the year.

Return to catchweight

Following Julio César Chávez Jr.'s comeback win against Dominik Britsch in December 2016, he claimed he was back and ready to fight Golovkin at 168 lbs and Álvarez at a 164-pound catchweight. Negotiations began soon after for a potential HBO PPV fight to take place in 2017 on Cinco de Mayo weekend, as there was interest from both sides that a fight take place. De La Hoya said a fight with Golovkin would still be likely for September 2017. Golden Boy president Eric Gomez confirmed a catchweight of 165 lbs was agreed between both sides. WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman was on board, saying he would likely get his organisation involved in the bout and that it was a "very attractive fight." On 18 December, Julio César Chávez Sr. spoke about the ongoing negotiations, saying Golden Boy were offering his son a small amount for the potential big PPV fight. He went on to claim his son was offered a $5 million purse with no mention he would get a cut of the PPV revenue, a counter offer was submitted. A rematch clause was also discussed, which Chávez Jr. and his team had no problem with. Chávez Sr. went on to admit that he was fully aware Álvarez is the A-side in the fight and would settle for no less than 30–35% of the full revenue.

On 22 December, the WBO made Álvarez the mandatory challenger to the middleweight title, skipping the previous number one Avtandil Khurtsidze, which was considered controversial due to Álvarez currently not fighting at middleweight. Khurtsidze, who had ten days to appeal decision, decided not to. On 24 December, Álvarez and his team gave Chávez Jr. a week to accept the terms, which included a purse of $7 million, or he would consider other options. On 12 January 2017, De La Hoya and Álvarez called for the contract to be signed, which was supposedly sent to Al Haymon, who advises Chávez Jr. and urged him to sign it. A day later, Chávez Jr. claimed he had agreed to all the demands set by Álvarez and said that he would sign the contract. According to Chávez Jr., the new demands included a weight limit set at 164.5 lbs and a $6 million base purse, plus PPV revenue percentages.

On 13 January, Álvarez officially confirmed the fight to take place on 6 May 2017. A rematch clause was also put in place if Chávez Jr. wins the fight and another clause for every pound Chávez Jr. weighs over the limit, he would be fined $1 million. On 4 February, Golden Boy Promotions announced that the fight would take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. On 22 February, Álvarez announced that he planned on vacating his WBO light middleweight title following the Chávez Jr. fight and fighting at middleweight. On 3 March, The fight was announced a sell out on with 20,000 tickets being sold after they initially went on sale to the public on 20 February. On 11 April, Álvarez spoke to boxing reporters in a teleconference and said that he would fight as a 160-pound middleweight after the Chávez Jr. fight.

Middleweight

Immediately after the Chávez Jr. fight, Álvarez announced that he would next fight Gennady Golovkin on 16 September 2017, at a location to be determined. Golovkin, who stated he would not attend the fight, was joined by his trainer Abel Sanchez and promoter Tom Loeffler. Golovkin joined him in the ring during the announcement to help promote their upcoming bout. Speaking through a translator, Álvarez said, "Golovkin, you are next, my friend. The fight is done. I've never feared anyone, since I was 15 fighting as a professional. When I was born, fear was gone." When Golovkin arrived in the ring, he said, "I feel very excited. Right now is a different story. In September, it will be a different style – a big drama show. I'm ready. Tonight, first congrats to Canelo and his team. Right now, I think everyone is excited for September. Canelo looked very good tonight, and 100 percent he is the biggest challenge of my career. Good luck to Canelo in September."

On 9 May, Eric Gomez, president of Golden Boy Promotions told the LA Times that Álvarez had an immediate rematch clause in place on his contract, whereas Golovkin, if he loses, won't be guaranteed a rematch. De La Hoya later revealed in an interview with ESPN that the fight would also take place at the full middleweight limit of 73 kg (160 lb) with no rehydration clauses, meaning Golovkin and Álvarez would be able to gain an unlimited amount of weight following the weigh in. On 5 June, the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was announced as the venue of the fight and would mark the first time Golovkin would fight in the state of Nevada. The AT&T Stadium, Madison Square Garden and Dodgers Stadium missed out on hosting the fight. Eric Gomez of Golden Boy Promotions said in a statement that Álvarez would fight for the IBF title, meaning he would participate in the second day weigh in where the IBF requires that each boxer weighs no more than ten lbs over the 160-pound limit. Although he said there was no word on whether Álvarez would fight for the WBC title, Álvarez claimed that he would not be. On 7 July 2017, Golden Boy and K2 Promotions individually announced the tickets had sold out.

On 15 August, Golden Boy matchmaker Robert Diaz revealed that Álvarez would indeed attend the IBF mandatory second day weigh in and fully intended to fight for both the IBF title and the WBA title. He also made it clear that whilst Golovkin would still defend the WBC and IBO title, Álvarez would not pay their sanctioning fees. On 22 August, IBF president Daryl Peoples announced that they would be dropping the mandatory second day weigh in for unification fights, meaning neither fighter is required to participate, however they would still encourage them to do so. It was reported that Álvarez would earn a base minimum $5 million and Golovkin would earn $3 million, before any shares of the revenue are added to their purses.

Super middleweight

In October 2018, Álvarez announced that he would move up to the super middleweight division for the first time in his career to fight 31-year-old British boxer Rocky Fielding (27–1, 15 KOs) at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York on 15 December 2018, for the WBA (Regular) super middleweight title. On 17 October 2018, DAZN announced that it had signed a five-year, $365 million deal with Álvarez, under which his next eleven fights would be broadcast in the U.S. by the subscription sports streaming service. The deal would begin with Álvarez vs. Fielding and replace his expired contract with HBO (which had also announced its discontinuation of boxing telecasts).

Álvarez would dominate the bout, with the taller Fielding not attempting to establish the range but instead he was dropped in each of the first two rounds with left hands to the body. Fielding was able to land some combinations of his own but they lacked the power required to trouble Canelo. A right to the jaw again dropped Fielding in round three, prompting the referee to warn the brit that "one more" would end the bout. Later in the round another left to the body dropped Fielding for the fourth time at which point referee Ricky Gonzalez stopped the bout. According to CompuBox, Álvarez would land 73 of 141 (52%) of his punches against just 37 of 183 (20%) of Fielding's Speaking after the bout said Alvarez "Fortunately for me he came to attack, that was the error he made and I did my thing in there." Fielding would admit he made a tactical error in trading with Canelo saying that "I stood there too long, thought I could mix it with him and shouldn't have, with my height, I should have kept the fight long, at distance. The better man won."

Return to middleweight

In January 2019, Álvarez announced he would return to the middleweight division to face Daniel Jacobs in an attempt to unify his WBA, WBC and The Ring belts with Jacobs' IBF title on 4 May 2019 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

The bout included a rehydration clause of 10 pounds, but Jacobs came in 1.7 kg (3.7 lb) over a contracted rehydration limit of 77 kg (170 lb) the morning of the bout (a stipulation demanded by Álvarez's team), costing him nearly $1,000,000 of his $10,000,000 guaranteed purse.

Álvarez defeated Jacobs via unanimous decision, 115–113, 115–113, 116–112, to unify his WBA (Super), WBC, and Ring middleweight titles with Jacobs' IBF middleweight title.

Light heavyweight

On 25 July 2019, it became known that Sergey Kovalev (34–3–1, 29 KOs) was again negotiating a deal to fight Álvarez for October 2019, in a fight that would see Álvarez make his light heavyweight debut. There was reports implying the fight with Anthony Yarde, who the WBO ordered Kovalev to fight, would be scrapped if Golden Boy Promotions and Main Events successfully negotiated a deal. Álvarez was ordered by the IBF to defend the title against Sergiy Derevyanchenko. John Skipper, who was DAZN's executive chairman, where Álvarez was tied into a contract, stated the steaming service would only approve Kovalev or a trilogy fight with Gennady Golovkin as Álvarez's next fight. According to Egis Klimas, an agreement was in place for Kovalev to fight Álvarez, if he was to defeat Yarde. On 8 August, Álvarez decided to wait until after Kovalev's fight with Yarde to decide his next opponent. Yarde revealed he was approached multiple times for step aside offers. He was first offered less than his purse for the Kovalev fight, then offered the same amount. Yarde joked that these offers needed to be more than double his purse for him to consider stepping aside. During fight week, Kovalev spoke to reporters to explain the reason why he turned down a last minute eight-figure offer from Álvarez was due to the Yarde fight only being three weeks away. Tickets were already on sale and being sold. Also the matter that Kovalev was defending his world title in front his own fans in his hometown, having fought the majority of his career in the United States. Speaking to Steve Bunce, Kovalev said he wanted five more fights and a chance to become undisputed champion.

A few weeks after Kovalev defeated Yarde, the fight between Kovalev and Álvarez was formally announced to take place on 2 November 2019 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, exclusively on DAZN. The fight would see Álvarez move up in weigh again in attempt to become a four-division world champion and only the second Mexican to win a world title at light heavyweight. Álvarez was looking to make history. He said, "The second phase of my career is continuing just as we had planned, and that's why we are continuing to make great fights to enter into the history books of boxing. That's also why I've decided to jump two weight classes against one of the most feared champions of recent years. Kovalev is a dangerous puncher, and he's naturally the bigger man, but that's the kind of challenges and risks that I like to face." Kovalev said of the fight, "In order to be the best you have to beat the best. I have always tried to fight the toughest opponents in my division, but many have ducked me throughout my career. Canelo wanted to fight me; to step up to higher weight and challenge for my belt." The ideal location for the fight was the T-Mobile Arena, but was not available due to Vegas Golden Knights having an NHL game on 2 November.

Return to super middleweight

On 6 November 2020, Álvarez was released from his contract with Golden Boy Promotions after a lawsuit was settled for breach of contract.

On 17 November via social media, Álvarez announced he would be facing undefeated WBA (Super) and The Ring super middleweight champion Callum Smith on 19 December 2020, with the vacant WBC title also at stake. The fight was held at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Álvarez's trainer Eddy Reynoso revealed that his fighter had been sparring with undefeated heavyweight Frank Sánchez in preparation for the bout. On the night, Álvarez controlled the action over twelve rounds, inflicting Smith with a detached left biceps injury as he won by unanimous decision with scores of 119–109, 119–109, 117–111. After the win Canelo became a four division world champion.

It was announced on 20 January 2021 that Álvarez would be defending his titles against WBC mandatory challenger Avni Yıldırım on 27 February at the Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Florida. The bout attracted criticism due to many perceiving Yıldırım, who had not been in the ring since he lost a technical split decision to Anthony Dirrell two years prior in February 2019, to be vastly over-matched. Yıldırım had been named to the mandatory position as a result of the controversial nature of his loss to Dirrell, however, he had remained sidelined due to injury and the COVID-19 pandemic. Álvarez, who was mandated to face Yıldırım in order to retain the WBC title despite being heavily favored, was dismissive of the critics, saying "I really don't have to give any explanation because they're never gonna be happy with anything... He [Yıldırım] has lots of courage. He can be dangerous at any moment because he is a strong fighter."

In a one-sided fight, Álvarez defeated Yıldırım by third-round corner retirement after Yıldırım's corner threw in the towel at the end of the third round. According to CompuBox stats, Álvarez outlanded Yıldırım 67 (40%) to 11 (11%) in total punches and 58 (59%) to 4 (22%) in power punches. In the third round, Álvarez threw 53 power punches. Álvarez later stated that he had contracted COVID-19 prior to the fight and only had one month to train.

After Álvarez's successful defense against Avni Yıldırım, promoter Eddie Hearn confirmed Álvarez would be facing WBO titleholder and undefeated two-weight world champion Billy Joe Saunders in a unification bout on 8 May at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Prior to the fight, there was a dispute between the two fighters' camps regarding the size of the ring: Saunders was unhappy with the proposed 18 ft (5.5 m) ring. He instead wanted a 20 ft (6.1 m) ring and threatened to pull out of the fight if his request wasn't met, despite having boxed primarily in 20 ft (6.1 m) rings in his bouts in the past in the United Kingdom. He ultimately settled for a 22 ft (6.7 m) ring after Álvarez said, "I don't care about the size of the ring, I'm just gonna go in there and do my job. It's not the only excuse he's had. He's had plenty of excuses," referencing when Saunders had previously voiced his concerns about the selection of judges for the fight.

Return to light heavyweight

At the WBC Convention on 15 November 2021 in Mexico City, the WBC approved the request of Álvarez's trainer and manager, Eddy Reynoso, to have Álvarez challenge Ilunga Makabu for his WBC cruiserweight title. Álvarez has never competed at cruiserweight, so Reynoso had needed to petition the WBC to allow the title fight. The cruiserweight limit was 200 lb (91 kg), but it had recently been reduced to 190 lb (86 kg) by the WBC due to the introduction of bridgerweight. The fight had been rumored to take place in May 2022. This ultimately did not materialize, as Makabu was forced into a mandatory defense of his title in a rematch against Thabiso Mchunu on 29 January 2022, which Makabu won via split decision. Instead, it was announced on 25 February 2022 that Álvarez had signed a two-fight deal with Matchroom Boxing; the first fight would see him returning to the light heavyweight division to challenge undefeated WBA (Super) champion Dmitry Bivol on 7 May in a bout that would be televised as sports streaming service DAZN's first pay-per-view offering in the United States and Canada.

In an upset, all three judges scored the bout 115–113 in Bivol's favor to hand Álvarez the second defeat of his professional career. Bivol fought behind the jab in the opening round while Álvarez attacked his body. Álvarez gained Bivol's attention when he landed a clean right uppercut on his chin to close the fourth round. Bivol used his excellent footwork and took control of the fight during the middle rounds. Bivol was warned by referee Russell Mora in the seventh round for pushing Álvarez down. He was not deducted any points. Álvarez began to tire from round 8 as Bivol continued to outwork him.

Bivol's arms were bruised due to Álvarez's tactics, the same tactic he had used in his win over Callum Smith where he targeted his arms. Bivol said, "He beat my arm up but not my head. He kept hitting me in the arms, and I kept hitting him in the face ... I expect that. I watched the fight against Callum Smith." Bivol claimed he was the best in the division and apologised to his promoter Eddie Hearn, who had recently had the Álvarez-Golovkin trilogy fight signed for September 2022. Speaking after the fight, Álvarez planned to activate the rematch clause in the contract. He said, "It doesn't end like this. No excuses, I lost today; he is a great boxer ... I felt his power. He comes in and he goes out. He manages his distance really well." This was also Álvarez's first professional loss since 2013 and was on a 16-fight unbeaten streak. He felt Bivol only won 5 rounds.

Return to super middleweight

Despite Álvarez expressing his desire to avenge his loss against WBA (Super) light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol in a rematch, on 24 May 2022 it was announced that Álvarez would instead be returning to the super middleweight division to defend his undisputed titles against Gennady Golovkin in a trilogy bout on 17 September. The bout would see Golovkin, the WBA (Super) and IBF middleweight champion, compete in the super middleweight division for the first time in his career, while it was Álvarez's sixth bout in the same weight class.

In the first pre-fight press conference on 25 June 2022 in Los Angeles, Álvarez described the rivalry between him and Golovkin as "personal" rather than simply competitive. Álvarez stated of his opponent: "He always pretends to be a nice guy but he's an asshole. He's an asshole person... He's talking a lot of things about me. That's why it's personal." Álvarez went on to express his excitement at the prospect of sending his opponent into retirement, and admitted that he received gratification from making Golovkin wait four years for a trilogy bout on his own terms, in his preferred weight class of super middleweight: "It makes me feel good."

On fight night, Álvarez defeated Golovkin via unanimous decision with the scores of 115–113 (twice) and 116–112.

On 14 March 2023, it was announced that Álvarez would be making the second defense of his undisputed super middleweight titles against WBO interim champion John Ryder at Estadio Akron in his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico on 6 May. The bout would mark Álvarez's first bout in his home nation in over eleven years.

Álvarez won via unanimous decision after the judges scored the fight 118–109 (twice) and 120–107 in his favor after 12 rounds.

Instead of defending his titles against his mandatory challenger Tim Tszyu, Jermell Charlo (35–1–1, 19 KOs) moved up two-weight divisions to challenge Álvarez on 30 September in Las Vegas. In order to make the fight, Álvarez, signed a 3-fight deal with Charlo's handlers, PBC. For months, rumours circulated Álvarez would be fighting Jermall Charlo, so the news that he was fighting Jermell came as a shock to many in the boxing industry, mostly because Charlo had never competed above 154 pounds at championship level. The fight was billed as "Undisputed vs. Undisputed". The WBO would allow Charlo to enter the ring and be announced as the undisputed light middleweight champion, however, after the first bell rung, he would be stripped of the WBO title, elevating Tszyu to full championship status. For this fight, Álvarez moved his full training camp to Lake Tahoe, a high-altitude location, rather than his usual camp in San Diego. Both boxers weighed the same 167.4 pounds for the fight, a career-high for Charlo.

Commercial endorsements

In March 2012 Álvarez became the first boxer to sign a multi-year apparel agreement with Under Armour. He entered an exclusive gloves-and-equipment contract with Everlast in February 2014. Tecate selected Álvarez to front its "Born Bold" campaign in February 2016, marking the brewer's first endorsement of an individual athlete. LVMH-owned cognac brand Hennessy added the boxer to its global "Never Stop. Never Settle." platform in September 2017. Swiss watchmaker Roger Dubuis appointed him brand ambassador in December 2018 and later issued a limited-edition Excalibur "Canelo" timepiece. In May 2025 Álvarez was named global ambassador for the online sportsbook 1win under a multi-year agreement.

Personal life

Álvarez is Catholic. He was engaged to Marisol González, who is Miss Mexico Universe 2003 and a sports reporter for Televisa Deportes. In May 2021, Álvarez married his longtime partner Fernanda Gómez in a ceremony at the Guadalajara Cathedral in Guadalajara, Mexico. He has three daughters and one son, all with different women.

He is an avid car collector, owning a Ferrari LaFerrari, a Bugatti Chiron, a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ, a Shelby Mustang, a Mercedes-AMG G 63 6x6, a Rolls Royce Ghost, and a Tesla Model X. He also owns several motorcycles, including Harleys and Ducatis.

Álvarez enjoys playing golf; in 2020 he stated his intentions to retire from boxing by age 37 and "dedicate himself to his business and playing golf every day" in retirement.

Álvarez is involved in several business ventures including real estate and convenience stores. He served as executive-producer for the film The Long Game (2023). He is also a boxing promoter in Mexico. His company, Canelo Promotions, was established in 2010 and his business partners are his trainers, father-and-son team Chepo and Eddy Reynoso. As of 2013, Canelo Promotions represented 40 boxers throughout Mexico.

He is also involved in philanthropic work, particularly in his home country. He has supported various charitable organizations and causes, specifically those focused on helping underprivileged children and families.

Álvarez made a cameo appearance in Creed III (2023), and features on the cover of the boxing video game Undisputed.

Álvarez endorsed Claudia Sheinbaum as president of Mexico in 2024.

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

WBC light middleweight champion (154 lb (70 kg))

WBO light middleweight champion (154 lb (70 kg))

WBA (Super) middleweight champion (160 lb (73 kg))

WBC middleweight champion (160 lb (73 kg)) (2×)

IBF middleweight champion (160 lb (73 kg))

WBA (Super) super middleweight champion (168 lb (76 kg))

WBC super middleweight champion (168 lb (76 kg))

IBF super middleweight champion (168 lb (76 kg)) (2×)

WBO super middleweight champion (168 lb (76 kg))

WBO light heavyweight champion (175 lb (79 kg))

Secondary major world titles

WBA (Unified) light middleweight champion (154 lb (70 kg))

WBA (Regular) super middleweight champion (168 lb (76 kg))

The Ring magazine titles

The Ring light middleweight champion (154 lb (70 kg))

The Ring middleweight champion (160 lb (73 kg)) (2×)

The Ring super middleweight champion (168 lb (76 kg))

Silver world titles

WBC Silver light middleweight champion (154 lb (70 kg))

Regional/International titles

Jalisco welterweight champion (147 lb (67 kg))

WBA Fedecentro welterweight champion (147 lb (67 kg))

NABF welterweight champion (147 lb (67 kg))

WBO Latino welterweight champion (147 lb (67 kg))

Undisputed titles

Undisputed super middleweight champion (168 lb (76 kg)) (2×)

Honorary titles

WBA Man of Triumph Gold champion

WBC Diamond middleweight champion

WBC Franchise middleweight champion

WBO Super Champion

WBC Huichol I champion

WBC Chiapaneco II champion

WBC Maya I champion

WBC Mestizo champion

WBC Teotihuacan champion

WBC Guerrero Jaguar Zapoteca champion

WBC Puebla-Jalisco champion

WBC Puebla champion

WBC Tamaulipas I champion

WBC Tamaulipas II champion

WBC Xicotencatl champion

Boxing awards

The Ring magazine Fighter of the Year: 2019, 2021

Sugar Ray Robinson Award: 2019, 2021

Best Boxer ESPY Award: 2019

ESPN Fighter of the Year: 2015, 2019, 2021

Sports Illustrated Fighter of the Year: 2019, 2021

BoxingScene Fighter of the Year: 2019, 2021

WBN Fighter of the Year: 2021

WBN Fight of the Year: 2018 Álvarez vs. Golovkin II

WBN Knockout of the Year: 2015

WBN Comeback of the Year: 2022

WBN Young Fighter of the Year: 2010

WBN World Title Prospect of the Year: 2010

Viewership