Santos Saul Alvarez Barragan, better known as Canelo Alvarez, is one of those champions who wear their patriotism on their sleeves. The current pound-for-pound boxer, which is another term for the best overall fighter, chooses to fight on Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day, which happens on September 16.
Cinco de Mayo celebrates Mexico’s victory over the Second French Empire at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Alvarez, a native of Guadalajara, Mexico, keeps boxing game fans guessing about his next opponent after the successful defense of his middleweight (division) belt against Jaime Munga. Some fans weren’t thrilled about the Mexican facing Edgar Berlanga next month.
Berlanga, who was born to a huge Nuyorican community in Brooklyn, New York, had an impressive resume, winning all of his 22 fights and 17 of those fights were decided by knockouts. However, the recent press conference showed the New Yorker backtracking on his threats against Canelo. Canelo is a nickname given by Jose Reynoso, his trainer. His nickname is due to his red hair.
Many boxing fans think that Alvarez has yet to meet a boxing opponent that would challenge his skills, and he’s rather picky about whom he should fight against. At 34 years of age, Alvarez has a few years left. The Mexican stated that he would like to retire at 37, as he looks forward to focusing on Canelo Promotions, his company, and playing golf everyday. It doesn’t seem the case last spring.
Alvarez had an interesting career (to say the least). He was the top boxer of Golden Boy Promotions, but the collaboration between Alvarez and dela Hoya would end sooner or later. And it ended acrimoniously.
Alvarez would defend his middleweight belts against Jaime Mungia, the former World Boxing Organization (WBO) junior middleweight champion,last May 4..Mungia is under Golden Boy Promotions, and dela Hoya, its founder, had a strong message to Alvarez during a press conference. Alvarez happened to be several meters away from dela Hoya.
“I have nothing but respect for Canelo Alvarez as a fighter; his record and abilities speak for themselves,” De La Hoya said.
“But he has spent much of the last two months insulting me rather than promoting this fight. Yes, I’ve faced a lot of challenges in my life. Yes, I’ve been to rehab several times. And yes there were times when work was not my priority based on my mental health, which I neglected for so long.
“But that doesn’t change the fact that Golden Boy built Canelo Alvarez - period. The company you fought under for decades has always had one name and it’s mine ... so put some respect on it.”
Alvarez reacted angrily to dela Hoya, in Spanish, accusing him of stealing money during his tenure under Golden Boy Promotions. Security stopped the two from facing off.
Alvarez was too much for Mungia during the defense of his middleweight titles. Mexico's top boxer needed to level up. A fight with Berlanga was next.
The Canelo Alvarez vs. Manny Pacquiao bout could’ve been a dream bout.
Canelo Alvarez and Manny Pacquiao didn't get the chance to face each other in the boxing ring because the former was once the top boxer of Golden Boy Promotions while the latter is the prized fighter of Top Rank. It's public knowledge that there's no love between Oscar dela Hoya, the founder of Golden Boy Promotions, and Bob Arum, the founder and CEO of Top Rank. If a match ever takes place, boxing fans wonder who would win. We lean towards Canelo Alvarez.
Pacquiao was the pound-for-pound boxer when Alvarez was making his mark on professional boxing. A younger Alvarez might not find the way to counter the footwork and speed of Pacquiao, but his older version would prevail over Pacquiao, nicknamed PacMan, in a unanimous decision. Another thing is Alvarez chose to compete during Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence Day.
Both events are the most significant in the Mexican calendar. It's Alvarez's way of showing his appreciation and love to his Mexican fans. An older Alvarez will win this bout if it's held in Mexico City. The result will remain the same if it's held in Las Vegas. Nevada is not far from the American-Mexican border. And Canelo Alvarez can count on the Mexican diaspora.
But the fight won't ever happen.
A video circulated in social media, showing Alvarez giving pointers to Emmanuel "Jimuel" Pacquiao, the eldest child of Manny Pacquiao and Jimmy Pacquiao, in a boxing gym in Los Angeles, California. Jimuel aspires to follow in his father's footsteps, but it's too early to tell if he would match his old man's achievements.
Manny Pacquiao also called Canelo Alvarez as the pound-for-pound boxer after his unanimous victory over Caleb Plant in 2021. Alvarez became the unanimous middleweight boxing champion after that historic fight. There’s respect between the two. But wait.
Social media netizens have a field day over Canelo Alvarez and Conor McGregor’s war of words (on X | Twitter). It started with the famed mixed martial artist’s recollection about his fight with Floyd Mayweatrher and comparing his to Alvarez’s. It didn’t sit well with Mexico’s top boxer. An exchange of fiery words and insults followed. Both Alvarez and McGregor could think about it. And push it.
Both Alvarez and McGregor may calculate their next opponents, but this bout, if it ever pushes through, would make both fights very rich. And they might be interested in staging the fight in Saudi Arabia. This Middle East kingdom is investing in sports lately. Some fans think it would be a mistake to turn down an opportunity. Alvarez appeared in “Creed III” while McGregor starred in a remake of “Road House” (starring Jake Gylenhaal). Both fighters must make their (highly anticipated) bout happen. Sooner.
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