Canelo Álvarez

At 33 years old, Canelo Álvarez has this physical status:

Santos Sa'l "Canelo" Barragán (American Spanish) is a Mexican professional boxer who was born in 1990. He has won many world championships in four weight classes, from light middleweight to light heavyweight, as well as unified titles in three of those weight classes and lineal championships. lvarez is the first and only boxer in history to win the WBA (Super), WBC, and Ring magazine titles since 2020, as well as the IBF and WBO titles since 2021.

Varez is known as an excellent counterpuncher, who is renowned for his ability to exploit openings in his opponents' guards while still avoiding head and body movements. He is also known as a strong body puncher. BoxRec and the Boxing Writers Association of America's fifth largest active boxer, pound for pound, as of May 2022; fifth by the TBRB; and sixth by The Ring. BoxRec, The Ring, TBRB, and ESPN also rated him as the world's top active super middleweight.

Early life

lvarez said he was born on the outskirts of Guadalajara, Jalisco, but his family is from Los Reyes, Michoacán. His family and grandparents emigrated to Juanacatlán, Jalisco, at the age of five. He began riding horses on his family's farm as a child and continues to do so today. lvarez is the youngest of eight children, seven of whom were boys; all of his brothers were also pros; Ramón lvarez, Rigoberto lvarez, and former WBA interim world champion Rigoberto lvarez are among his brothers.

Canelo in Spanish is the masculine term for cinnamon, which is a common nickname for people with red hair. Ana Maria, his mother, has red hair. It is common in Mexico 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. "There may have been an Irish grandfather somewhere back in my history," lvarez once said of his ancestry. He was bullied at an early age when he would be branded "Jcama con Chile" – which translates to jicama with chilli flakes, a common Mexican snack.

Personal life

Rivello, a Miss Mexico Universe 2003 and a sports reporter for Televisa Deportes, was engaged to Marisol González. Fernanda Gómez, a long-serving man, married lvarez in May 2021 at the Guadalajara Cathedral in Guadala, Mexico. He has three daughters and one son, all with different parents.

Varez loves golf; by age 37, he said he wanted to stop boxing and "dedicate himself to his company and golfing every day" in retirement; in 2020, he said he likes golf.

In Mexico, he is also a boxing promoter. Canelo Promotions was established in 2010 and his employees, father-and-son team Chepo, and Eddy Reynoso are among his clients. Canelo Promotions owned 40 boxers around Mexico as of 2013.

Source

Amateur career

After watching his older brother Rigoberto's debut as a professional boxer, lvarez started boxing when he was 13 years old. He earned the silver medal at the Junior Mexican National Championships in 2004 in Sinaloa. At the age of 15, he became the 2005 Junior Mexican National Boxing Champion in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas. With 12 knockouts, his amateur record stood at 44–2 for his second time.

Professional career

After his victory at the Junior Nationals, lvarez became a professional at 15, but his parents, father-and-son team Chepo and Eddy Reynoso, were unable to locate suitable junior opponents for him. He knocked out eleven of his 13 identified opponents, many of whom were older than him, in his first 19 months as a professional. However, Reynoso said in 2013 that lvarez had defeated ten times in that span, winning all ten by knockout (KO), but that these fights (all in small venues in Nayarit) were so poor that it was not worth the trouble to get the record changed. That means he has a 67–2–2 record with 49 knockouts. In his three years as a professional, he gained weight in his three years as a professional, with two documented fights under the light welterweight maximum of 140 pounds before settling in the welterweight division at 147 pounds.

Lvarez's third official bout of his career came with a victory over future IBF lightweight champion Miguel Vázquez on January 20, 2006, in his home town of Guadala, Jalisco. In a rematch on June 28, 2008, lvarez defeated Vázquez once more. When he and all six of his brothers fought on the same night, Canelo was the youngest, he made world history on the war card. The only drawback was that three of them failed to win their pro debuts. The other four more experienced brothers had triumphs. In Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas, he received a stunning third-round KO over Brian Camechis on March 6, 2010. lvarez then defeated José Cotto on the undercard of Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Shane Mosley to keep his WBC-NABF welterweight title.

At the Vicente Fernández Arena, he was defeated in the WBC Silver light middleweight championship by a technical knockout (TKO) victory over Luciano Leonel Cuello. Vicente Fernández, a Mexican singer, gave lvarez a horse during a post-fight interview. The mayor of Tepic, where lvarez often trains, gave him a horse.

On the Shane Mosley vs. Sergio Mora undercard, he next met former WBC champion Carlos Baldomir at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. Baldomir said in a pre-fight interview that he needed Mora's champion "after I knocked out El Canelo." Baldomir weighed in at 153.4 pounds for the bout, but it was contracted for 151 pounds. If a fighter is overweight, he is fined 20% of his money, and the other fighter is given the same percentage. However, Varadz refused to take the extra $12,000 from Baldomir. lvarez struck Baldomir out cold in the sixth round. With the victory, Lopez became just the second boxer to beat Carlos Baldomir and the first boxer to knock him out. Varez then defended his light middleweight title by a unanimous decision over former world champion Lovemore N'dou in Veracruz. Despite the wide margins on the official scorecards of 119–109, 120–108, and 120–108, it was a competitive contest.

lvarez was listed as the mandatory challenger for Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito's vacant WBC light middleweight title fight, but Pacquiao, the winner, told the WBC that he had no intention of defending the title and it had been declared vacant. Varez defeated European welterweight champion Matthew Hatton by unanimous decision on the vacant WBC light middleweight belt on March 5, 2011. The fight, which was broadcast on HBO, took place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California, and was televised on HBO. In the seventh round, Varad, was docked a point for striking after the break. All three ringside judges were rated 119–108 in favour of lvarez, who delivered 57% of his 626 punches, with 53% of his power shots. In a fight that averaged 1.4 million viewers on HBO, Hatton claimed to only 25% of his 546 total blows.

Nicolas Louz defended his newly awarded WBC title against #4 ranked Ring light middleweight and European light middleweight champion Ryan Rhodes. In the twelfth round, Lopez defeated Rhodes by TKO in Guadala, Jalisco, on June 18th. On HBO, the show attracted 1.6 million viewers.

lvarez defended the WBC crown against Alfonso Gómez, a tense opponent, on September 17th in Los Angeles, winning via TKO in the sixth round. After lvarez knocked him down in the first round, Gómez won the majority of the first five rounds. When he backed Gómez up with a right hand, he was aiming for one shot and made it in the sixth round. He then flocked to get the referee to jump in and put an end to the fight.

In the fifth round, Varadez defeated Kermit Cintrón by TKO. In the fourth round, Varez spent the first three rounds feeling out his opponent Cintrón, a former welterweight champion, before punishing the Puerto Rican with body shots and straight right hands. He knocked Cintrón down once more and put him in jeopardy at the end of the round, but Cintrón was saved by the bell. Cintrón came out and grabbed lvarez with some combinations in the fifth round, but the referee stepped in and stopped it. On HBO: After Dark, the show attracted 1.5 million viewers.

Richard Schaefer announced that lvarez's next bout will co-feature on Miguel Cotto's undercard of his match against Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Shane Mosley was announced as the next opponent for his WBC light middleweight title in May on February 11th. After twelve rounds, Varez defeated Mosley by a unanimous decision.

On September 15, Lopez was supposed to face top ten Ring light middleweight and former welterweight champion Paul Williams. Williams was lyzed from the waist down in a motorcycle accident in the United States state of Georgia on May 27, 2012, bringing an end to his boxing career. James Kirkland, Austin Trout, Delvin Rodriguez, and most notable, Victor Ortiz were among the potential opponents for his September bout.

In the main event of a Showtime pay-per-view (PPV) card dubbed 'Knockout Kings,' at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, Lopez was supposed to defend his title against former welterweight titlist Victor Ortiz. Ortiz, however, was unable to defeat underdog Josesito López in what was supposed to be a "tune-up" brawl at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on June 23, resulting in his forfeiture due to a referee stoppage (broken jaw) and ending his match with lvarez as a result.

López was actually booked in to face Canelo at the MGM Grand on September 15th for the WBC light middleweight crown, despite the uproar. Varez dominated López from start to finish, remaining undefeated and raising his record by 41–0–1. On Showtime, the combat averaged 1.04 million. Canelo received $2 million for the fight, but López received less than $212,500.

Against Austin Trout, his next fight took place on April 20th, 2013. The brawl between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Robert Guerrero was supposed to take place during Cinco de Mayo weekend as the co-main event for the two teams; however, lvarez decided to headline his own card instead.

Varez successfully defended his WBC light middleweight title, winning both the WBA (Regular) and vacant Ring light middleweight titles in front of 39,247 fans. Trout seemed to have a solid game plan going into the first few rounds. However, lvarez's fire took over after the third round, with Trout facing a humiliating loss in the seventh round that gave him his first knockdown of his career. lvarez started the knockdown with a pawing left jab and then the straight right hand. The war was closer than anticipated, but lvarez nonetheless managed to defeat Trout throughout the fight, displaying remarkable head movement and surprising strength. With a fair margin 115–111 from Texas' judge Oren Shellenberger, and 118–109 from South African official Stanley Christodoulou, all three judges' scorecards were in favour of lvarez. Despite the fact that 118–109 caused uproar, the majority of sport analysts had lvarez winning by at least two points. According to CompuBox results, Trout was the most adamant fighter, landed 154 of 769 punches (%), while lvarez was the more accurate puncher, landing 124 of his 431 shots (29%). Trout said right after the match that he hadn't underestimated lvarez but that he trained to combat a completely different fighter.

Floyd Mayweather Jr., Ring magazine's top-ranked light middleweight and WBC champion and unified WBA (Regular) and WBC champion, clashed with Ring magazine's top pound-for-pound champion, WBC (Super) light middleweight champion, WBC and Ring magazine welterweight champion, fought against Ring magazine's top pound-for-pound champion, WBC and Ring magazine welterweight champion, fought against Ring magazine's top welter Mayweather claimed a world championship (147 pounds), but he also won a light middleweight title (154 lbs), which he won by overpointing Miguel Cotto in May 2012. He was put on a diet to face lvarez with their belts on the line, but the contest was fought at a catchweight of 152 lbs. The WBC and Ring light middleweight titles, as well as Mayweather's WBA (Super) light middleweight crown, were disputed for the bout. Mayweather is said to have weighed 150 pounds and lvarez came in at 165 lbs. on fight night.

Mayweather defeated lvarez by majority vote in front of a sold-out crowd of 16,746 people at the MGM Garden. Judge C. J. Ross ruled the game 114–114, a draw. Judge Dave Moretti had it 116–112 on Saturday, while Craig Metcalfe scored it 117–111. Judge Ross resigned after this controversy. "I can't control what the judges do," Mayweather said on the tense scorecard. Mayweather's domination in the fight was shown by CompuBox results. He hit 232 of 551 punches (46%), but lvarez connected on 117 of 526 (22%)). Mayweather received a guaranteed $41.5 million to lvarez's $5 million.

Golden Boy chief executive Richard Schaefer announced on January 9, 2014 that a contract had been struck for a fight between lvarez and 31-year-old Mexican boxer Alfredo Angulo (22–3, 18 KOs) would take place on March 8 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. ESPN revealed in March that the brawl would take place at 155 pounds due to lvarez's inability to make the light middleweight limit of 154 pounds. lvarez decided to pay $100,000 of his minimum $1.25 million purse to Angulo, which would increase his purse by $850,000. lvarez was also agreed to weigh no more than 168 pounds on fight night, despite being part of the discussions. This was lvarez' first match of five fights at a 155-pound catchweight. On fight night, lvarez weighed 174 pounds on Showtime's scale, and Angulo weighed 170 pounds. lvarez came out strong in front of 14,610 at the MGM, throwing combinations. In a tumultuous defeat, lvarez scored a tenth-round stoppage over Angulo that was punctuated by a lead left uppercut. In round six, Angulo's left eye began swelling. The audience was dissatisfied and booed when the referee called the contest off. Two judges had it 89–82 at the time of the stoppage, and the third judge had it 88–83, all in favour of lvarez.'

"I told Tony he did the wrong job tonight," Angulo wrote in the newspaper how he was dissatisfied with the termination. At any time, the referee warns us to take care of ourselves. I can take care of myself. In the final four or three rounds, my goal was to work harder. I had a solid preparation for this fight." "I'm really angry," his assistant Virgil Hunter said about referee Tony Weeks. I told the referee and the doctor that if Canelo fired two or three shots together, the fight would be over. He had one punch. Everyone knows Alfredo was bringing on the best, as everyone knows it.

In a non-title match, Lvarez defeated Erislandy Lara at the MGM Grand on July 12, 2014. The WBA light middleweight championship in Lara was not on the line, as the fight took place at a 155-pound catchweight and both fighters weighed in at 155 pounds. Lara was rehydrated to 171 pounds, but Lara came into the ring at 166 pounds. lvarez came out on top in a close and close contest that came to a split result, with two judges scoring 115–113 in favour of each fighter, and the final judge scoring 117–111 in favour of lvarez. The final scorecard was contentious, according to several commentators, who viewed it much too broad. Lara landed 55 jabs to nine from lvarez, who landed the jab at a five percent connect rate, according to CompuBox. While Lara hit 88 power punches, she managed to land 53 power punches. Against lvarez's quick aggression and power punching, Lara's clean punching, defense, and movement were weighed in. Lara came out in the best style of the moment, adopting a stick-and-move look and capturing the early rounds. Despite Lara's one-two combinations, Lara's punches weren't enough strength or frequency to discourage him from going back to Lara's body, and he was able to hammer away to Lara's body when he had him on the ropes. Lara's lead hand was instrumental in his one-two combo's success, but his output decreased as the war progressed and he became more hesitant. In the seventh round, Lara was able to cut him with a lead left uppercut. Despite the fact that the decision is contentious, Oscar De La Hoya's dismissal of any rumors of a match in the future was dismissed by him, saying, "No one wants a rematch."

Oscar De La Hoya reported in January 2015 that lvarez and James Kirkland (32–1, 28 KOs) had agreed to combat each other, but no date or location had been fixed in a non-title light middleweight contest. The reason for the date being changed was due to the fact that the Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao match was not scheduled. The fight was announced on May 9, 2015, at the official press conference in Houston, Texas, a week after the Mayweather and Pacquiao clash on Mayweather, which was live on HBO. It was the first fight of lvarez' lucrative HBO deal. lvarez defeated Kirkland by third-round KO in front of 31,588, 58. Kirkland came out vehemently, but lvarez wobbled him and netted a knockdown in round one by straight right hand. Kirkland was stabbed to the ground by a counter right uppercut in the third round. lvarez ended the fight with a jab to the body that was immediately followed by the right hand, resulting in the KO. Varez landed 87 of 150 punches (58%) and Kirkland landed 42 of 197 (21%). "I didn't know I had been knocked out," Kirkland said after the match. He was then admitted to the hospital for a CT scan. Varez' win would set up a massive PPV contest against himself and WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto. On HBO, the game attracted an average of 2.146 million viewers and a peak of 2.296 million, the highest viewership for HBO in 2015.

With a unanimous decision over Miguel Cotto over 21,274 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas on November 21, 2015, lvarez lifted the WBC, Ring, and lineal middleweight titles. At Cotto's request, the brawl took place at a catchweight of 155 lbs. Despite Cotto's heroic effort, and the team's success throughout the competition, the judges nonetheless opted for lvarez's superior power and accuracy, with remarkably high scores of 117–111, 119–109, and 118–110. The contest was much closer, but lvarez, 115–113, took the top prize. According to CompuBox, lvarez landed 155 of 484 punches (32%) and Cotto landed 129 of 629 (21%), with lvarez dealing the most blows and inflicting more injury. The WBC granted lvarez the WBC Diamond middleweight championship at their Mexico headquarters two months after the war ended.

According to HBO, the 900,000 followers on PPV rose to nearly $58 million in domestic sales, which equated to around $58 million. This was the first time a PPV reached 900,000 that did not include Mayweather, Pacquiao, or De La Hoya. Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson competed in a heavyweight title match.

In early 2016, it was revealed that British boxer Amir Khan was going up two weight divisions to face lvarez at middleweight for his WBC, Ring, and lineal middleweight titles. The brawl took place on May 7th, 2016, at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The match took place on HBO PPV. Khan maintained his distance in the first five rounds, using his strength to come in and step out, which had caused problems for lvarez.' lvarez had a spectacular right hand knocking out Khan in round six. According to Nevada State Athletic Commission reports, the contest resulted in a live gate of $7,417,350. The number came from 13,072 tickets sold, much less than a sell out. The lvarez-Khan gross figures make it the 34th-best in Nevada history. The war brought close to 600,000 PPV units.

Following the fight, Lvarez and his crew welcomed middleweight champion Gennady "GGG" Golovkin into the ring to promote a future match between them. "Let's fight now," the narrator said during a post-fight interview with HBO's Max Kellerman. Varez vacated the WBC title he defended in defending Khan on May 18, 2016. Gennady Golovkin was given the WBC's highest accolade straight away.

On June 24, it was announced that lvarez would drop the extra pound to 154 and face Liam Smith, the 27-year old WBO champion (23–0–1, 13 KOs) from England, in the main event of a ticket on HBO PPV. Golden Boy Promotions announced on July 18th that the bout would be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, after the MGM Grand in Las Vegas was the other venue chosen to host the battle. Canelo said, "I am really excited to announce my next fight against Liam Smith, a phenomenal fighter with real knockout power, and the WBO light middleweight world championship owner, who will have all the enthusiasm on September." "Italian" is the word that comes first in the headline.

Following a devastating left hook to the body in round nine, lvarez regained a world championship at light middleweight. Smith was also knocked down twice in round seven and once in round eight in a match in which lvarez was in command from the start of the game. Compared to Smith's landing 115 from 422 thrown, a connect rate of 29 percent. According to an estimation, the war brought 300,000 PPV units.

Eric Gomez, the Golden Boy president, told Ring magazine in December that lvarez had no imminent plans to leave the WBO championship and will compete in the first quarter of 2017, defending his world champion. He also said that there are still plans for lvarez to face Golovkin later this year.

Following Julio César Chávez Jr.'s victory over Dominik Britsch in December 2016, he said he was back and able to face Golovkin at 168 pounds and lvarez at a 164-pound catchweight. Negotiations began shortly after for a potential HBO PPV fight on Cinco de Mayo weekend in 2017, as both sides wanted to see a battle taking place. According to De La Hoya, a clash with Golovkin is still possible in September 2017. Both sides agreed on a catchweight of 165 pounds, according to Golden Boy president Eric Gomez. Mauricio Sulaiman, the WBC president, was on board, adding that his organization would most likely be involved in the fight and that it was a "very attractive contest." Julio César Chávez Sr. talked to Golden Boy on the 18th of December, saying that the sons were paid a small sum for the upcoming big PPV battle. A counter offer was submitted, claiming that his son was given a $5 million purse with no hint that he would be paid a share of the PPV proceeds. Chávez Jr. and his crew had no problem with a rematch clause, which was also discussed. Chávez Sr. went on to say that he was fully aware that lvarez is the A-side of the war and that he would settle for no less than 35% of the total amount.

The WBO named lvarez the mandatory challenger to the middleweight title on December 22, skipping Avtandil Khurtsidze, the previous number one, who was also not fighting at middleweight, despite the fact that he wasn't fighting at middleweight. Khurtsidze, who had ten days to appeal, decided not to appeal, but not to. Chávez Jr. and his crew had a week to accept the terms, which included a purse of $7 million, or he'd consider other alternatives. De La Hoya and lvarez pleaded for the agreement to be signed on January 12, 2017. Chávez Jr.'s sister, Al Haymon, is advised to Chávez Jr., who compelled him to sign it and advised him to sign it. Chávez Jr. said he had submitted all the demands set by lvarez a day later and that he would sign the agreement. According to Chávez Jr., the new demands included a weight limit set at 164.5 pounds and a $6 million base purse, as well as higher PPV revenue percentages.

Varez officially announced the conflict on January 13th. If Chávez Jr. wins the contest, a rematch provision was also in place, and Chávez Jr. will be fined $1 million if he exceeds the maximum. Golden Boy Promotions revealed on February that the brawl would take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada. Following the Chávez Jr. fight and fighting at middleweight, the Venezuelan king declared on February 22nd that he intended on vacating his WBO light middleweight title. Following a sell out on the public on February 20, the contest was declared a sell out on March 3rd. with 20,000 tickets being sold. In a teleconference on Monday, lvarez spoke to boxing journalists and said that after the Chávez Jr. fight, he will fight as a 160-pound middleweight.

According to the NSAC, Chávez Jr. will receive $5 million and Chávez Jr. will earn $3 million before any PPV shares were issued. Based on PPV's numbers, the figures will rise.

lvarez took the fight in dominant fashion in front of a sold-out crowd of 20,510. All three judges scored it 120–108 for lvarez. Chávez Jr. was incredibly cautious throughout the war. He came forward and had a lvarez against the ropes at certain times, but he was unable to throw any punches. Due to a lack of response, the crowd in the later rounds became a little bit out of place. In the post-fight interview, Lopez talked to HBO's Max Kellerman about his fighting style, saying, "I showed I could move, I could box, and I did prove that as a fighter I can do all things." I had hoped to be a puncher but I didn't do it. I've demonstrated that I can do a lot in the ring, and that if a fighter appears, I've shown you can express myself." According to CompuBox results, lvarez landed 228 of 604 of his punches fired (38%) and Chávez Jr. landed 71 of 302 (24%). Compared to Chávez Jr.'s 25 landed, lvarez landed 102 punches by the end of round five. Early estimates reported that the war resulted in at least one million sales. A week later, a replay was shown on regular HBO, drawing an average of 769,000 viewers. This was the first boxing match to sell over a million PPV orders that didn't include Mayweather, Pacquiao, or De La Hoya since 2002, which saw Lennox Lewis keep his heavyweight world championships against Mike Tyson. According to later reports, the fight was down to 1.2 million purchases, which means it would have generated around $80 million.

Immediately after the Chávez Jr. fight, lvarez revealed that he would next meet Gennady Golovkin on September 16, 2017, at a location yet to be determined. Golovkin, who said he would not attend the fight, was accompanied by his handler Abel Sanchez and promoter Tom Loeffler. During the confirmation of their upcoming match, Golovkin joined him in the ring to help advertise their forthcoming match. "Golovkin, you are next," lvarez said as a translator. The war is over. Since being 15 years old as a warrior, I've never afraid anyone. Fear had been banished since I was born." "I feel so excited" when Golovkin appeared in the ring. Right now is a different story. It will be a different style in September – a big drama show. I'm set. First and foremost, congratulations to Canelo and his crew. I believe everyone is excited for September right now. Canelo looked great tonight, and 100 percent he is the biggest challenge of my career. "Good luck to Canelo in September."

Eric Gomez, the president of Golden Boy Promotions, told the LA Times on May 9 that lvarez had an immediate rematch clause in place, but Golovkin, if he loses, will not be guaranteed a match. Following the weigh in, De La Hoya revealed in an interview with ESPN that the brawl will take place at full middleweight limit of 160 lbs with no rehydration rules, which means Golovkin and lvarez will be able to gain an unlimited amount of weight following the weigh in. The T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was confirmed as the site of the match on June 5th, marking the first time Golovkin will fight in Nevada. The contest was hosted at At&T Stadium, Madison Square Garden, and Dodgers Stadium. Eric Gomez of Golden Boy Promotions said in a tweet that lvarez would contest for the IBF title, implying he will appear in the second day weigh-in where the IBF requires that each boxer weighs no more than the 160-pound maximum. Despite saying there was no word whether lvarez would compete for the WBC championship, lvarez said he would not be interested. Golden Boy and K2 Promotions both announced on July 7 that the tickets had sold out on July 7.

Golden Boy matchmaker Robert Diaz revealed on August that lvarez would indeed weigh in and compete for both the IBF and the WBA titles. He also made it clear that although Golovkin will continue to support the WBC and IBO championship, he would not be liable for their sanctions. On August 22, IBF president Daryl Peoples revealed that they would no longer be allowed to weigh in for unification matches, which means neither fighter is required to participate nor will they encourage others to participate, although they would still encourage them to do so. It was reported that lvarez would get a minimum $5 million and Golovkin would make $3 million before any of the funds were added to their accounts.

Golovkin and lvarez fought to a split draw on fight night in front of a sold-out crowd of 22,358, 116–113 Golovkin, and 114–114). The game was 116-112 in favor of Golovkin, according to ESPN's Dan Rafael and HBO's Harold Lederman. Judge Adalaide Byrd's scorecard, which was 118–110 in favor of lvarez, was widely mocked. Many observers agreed that Golovkin had won a close, close contest, and that although a draw was justifiable, a card in favour of lvarez was inexcusable. Nonetheless, Nevada Athletic Commission Director Bob Bennett said he had utter confidence in Byrd's future. Despite the uproar, several mainstream media outlets referred to the match as a "classic." Both boxers settled into their groove, lvarez's footwork, and Golovkin's jab got off to a good start, with Golovkin getting his jab. During the middle rounds, particularly between four and eight children, lvarez started each round quickly but then began to tire out after a minute, with Golovkin taking over and doing enough to win the rounds. The championship rounds were arguably the best rounds, and lvarez's came to an end, and both fighters continued to fight each other, with the majority of which missing. Golovkin's 19th straight defense was on display, only one behind middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins. According to CompuBox results, Golovkin was the busier of the two planes, landing 218 of 703 thrown (31%), while lvarez was more precise, landing 169 of his 505 thrown (34%). In ten of the twelve rounds, Golovkin defeated lvarez. The replay, which took place a week later on HBO, attracted 840,000 viewers.

"It was a big drama show," Golovkin said after the fight with Max Kellerman. [The scoring] was not my fault. Every round, I put pressure on him. Obviously, I still have all the belts. "I am still the champion." "I came out to see what he had in the first round, I felt as though he had won the tournament." I was beginning to build from there. I believe I won eight rounds. I felt I had won the fight. In the ring, I think I was the best in the world. I've won at least seven or eight rounds. I was able to withstand punch and made Gennady tremble at least three times. It's up to the people if we fight again. My draw makes me feel anxious." Abel Sanchez, Golovkin's handler, believed judge Byrd had her scorecard filled out before the first bell rang. Varez, the former champion of Mexico, has ruled out another fight in 2017 in the hopes of returning to Cinco de Mayo weekend in May 2018. "Look, right now I want to rest," lvarez said over a translator at the post-fight press conference. We'll do whatever the fans want, whatever the crowds want and pray for. You should know that that's my style. However, who knows if it's in May or September? One thing's for certain is that this is my age, in the era of Canelo. Golovkin's promoter, Tom Loeffler, said that they would like a prompt match, but Golovkin, who prefers fighting at least three times per year, has confirmed his intention to fight in December.

The competition spanned Mayweather-lvarez for the third time in boxing history. According to ESPN, the brawl raised $27,059,850 from 17,318 tickets sold. According to the NSAC, 934 free tickets were given out. Mayweather vs. lvarez sold 16,146 tickets to produce a live gate at $20,003,150.

The replay, which took place a week later on HBO, at 840,000 viewers, was the most popular show on HBO. According to the Los Angeles Times, the war resulted in the purchase of 1.3 million domestic PPV units. Although HBO did not make a formal announcement, it is predicted that the number would exceed $100 million.

Talks about a rematch between lvarez and Golovkin began right after the turbulent conclusion. Varez said he would fight again in May 2018, but Golovkin was also open to combat in December 2017. According to ESPN, lvarez, who had only had the rematch clause in his deal, must activate it within three weeks of their fight. Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez told ESPN that everyone on their side was involved in the match and that they would hold talks with Tom Loeffler in the coming days. Ringtv announced that talks would begin on September 22nd. According to Gomez, the match will likely take place in the first week of May 2018 or as early as March if a contract could be reached. Despite ongoing talks over the match, the WBC has ordered a match in Baku, Azerbaijan, on October 2nd. "We don't know if they did or didn't order the match, we're going to try to make it happen," Gomez said on ESPN. "We'll do whatever it takes to make it happen." Gomez said on November 7 that the talks were going well and that lvarez would make a decision about the rematch in the upcoming weeks. The Golden Boy was expected to wait until after David Lemieux and Billy Joe Saunders battled for the latter's WBO title on December 16, 2017, before deciding on a decision. Matchroom's Eddie Hearn, a promoter of Daniel Jacobs, told Tom Loeffler that if the lvarez-Golovkin match didn't take place, he warned him about a potential rematch between Golovkin and Jacobs. Gomez declared on December 20 that the talks were close to being finalized after lvarez ordered Golden Boy to write down the contracts. The rematch will be held on May 29 to Mayo weekend, according to HBO, who revealed it on Sunday, on January 29, 2018. The T-Mobile Arena in February was once more selected as the battle's location. This time around, Varadkar, according to WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman, will face Golovkin for their title this time around.

In March 2018, lvarez tested positive for the banned drug clenbuterol ahead of the match. Adding to the controversies, Golovkin's manager Abel Sanchez said that lvarez had his hands wrapped in an unlawful manner for the first fight. Due to his two positive results for the banned drug clenbuterol, the NSAC temporarily suspended lvarez on March 23rd. On April 10, lvarez was required to attend a commission hearing, either in person or by phone. At the trial, the commission will determine if the conflict will go on as expected. MGM Resorts International, the T-Mobile Arena's owner, began offering complete refunds to those who had already purchased tickets for the game on March 28. "They wrote, "In the event that a fan requested a refund, they would get one at the original point of sale and in full." The Las Vegas Review-Journal announced the news. The trial was postponed for 18 April after Bob Bennett filed a lawsuit against lvarez.' lvarez had to withdraw from the tournament on April 3rd. During a press conference, Golden Boy predicted that lvarez would not be cleared at the hearing, and that they would not have enough time to advertise the fight.

According to an unofficial source, lvarez had checked into a private hospital in Guadalajara for an arthroscopy knee surgery. It was later discovered that it was a cosmetic surgery, according to a Golden Boy spokesperson. "I share that today I had to perform an arthroscopic surgery to repair the internal femoral cartilage and eliminate a pathological fold of my right knee," lvarez posted a photo of her right knee after surgery. Golden Boy's Eric Gomez said later that lvarez had "a cyst pulled out of his knee" and that there were no serious problems with his knee.

lvarez was sentenced to six months in prison for his first drug test failure on February 17th, bringing the ban to an end on August 17, 2018. According to the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA), lvarez was not enrolled in the testing program. De La Hoya, his promoter, later revealed that lvarez would return to the ring on Mexican Independence Day weekend.

According to Golovkin, a fight with lvarez in the fall was still a priority before he beat Vanes Martirosyan on May 27. During a conference call, he said it was the "biggest war in the world" and was favorable to all sides involved. Although Golovkin predicted that the match had a ten percent chance of happening, Eric Gomez and Tom Loeffler decided to meet and begin discussing after 5 May. The purse split was one of the main reasons that prevented the match from taking place. Varez wanted 65-35 in his favour, the same terms Golovkin accepted initially, but Golovkin wanted a straight 50-50 split.

Golovkin was stripped of his IBF title for failing to adhere to the IBF's guidelines on June 6th. Although Golovkin was granted an exception to face Martirosyan, the IBF told his side that Golovkin would not sanction the fight and warned Golovkin's crew to begin negotiating and combat mandatory challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko by August 3. The IBF issued a statement in which it explained its decision to strip Golovkin of his belt. Golovkin's staff announced on June 7 that they would vote in favour of a 55-45 split in favor of lvarez. Golden Boy's Golovkin was given a 24-hour deadline on June 12th to accept a 571–4212 split, or else investigate other fights. Golden Boy were still in the middle of talks with Eddie Hearn over a war against Daniel Jacobs. Loeffler was also working with Frank Warren to reach Saunders with Golovkin at the end of August. Golovkin turned down the bid, while De La Hoya announced that there will be no match rematch. Despite this, several reports indicated that both sides were still struggling after a "Hail Mary" idea emerged. De La Hoya revealed on Twitter that the terms had been agreed and that the brawl would take place in Las Vegas, Nevada, on September 15th. Golovkin revealed to ESPN that he had agreed to 45%. On June 14, Lopez began training for the fight and stated that he intended to apply for his boxing license on August 18th. Both boxers would not be able to face each other face-to-face until fight week, according to it. On the 3rd of July, a split-screen press conference was held. It was revealed on September 3rd that the vacant Ring middleweight championship will be contested for the bout due to a majority vote of the panel. "We posed the question to the ratings panel, who, in a landslide, approved the magazine's 160-pound championship, which will be up for grabs when the two celebrities clash at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas."

As lvarez defeated Golovkin by majority decision after twelve rounds in front of a sell out crowd of 21,965, the fight was not without controversy. Judge Dave Moretti and Steve Weisfeld all scored the match, 115–113, with third judge Glenn Feldman scoring it 114–114. Fans, pundits, and journalists opposed the decision. Ten of the 18 media outlets rated the match, ten ruled in favour of Golovkin, seven scored a draw, and one scored the match for lvarez. The judges split eight rounds, as the scorecards showed how close the match was. All three judges' scores were 87–84 for lvarez, who was on the ninth round.

The result was markedly different from the first round in terms of combat. Varez, who had been referred to as a "runner" by Golovkin's crew, has adapted his style and became more vocal. Both boxers made use of their respective jabs from the first round, with Golovkin using his jabs even more as the contest continued. Both fighters were landed heavy punches during the match, with both lvarez and Golovkin displaying strong chins. Despite the dramatic build-up, both boxers treated each other with admiration after the fight. Varez used his body attack to land 46 points on average relative to Golovkin's six landings. According to CompuBox results, Golovkin delivered 234 of 879 punches (27%) and Luvarez landed 202 of his 622 punches (33%). Golovkin had the edge in jabs, landing 118 out of 547 (21.6%) for 58, compared to 59 out of 256 (23%) for lvarez. However, Varez had the edge in power punches, landing 143 out of 366 (39.1%) for Golovkin, who had 116 out of 332 (34.9%). In eight of the rounds, Golovkin defeated lvarez in total punches, but lvarez was thrown out in power punches in nine of the rounds.

"Clearly win" was won, lvarez said, and that "in the end, it was a win for Mexico." And here's another thought: it was an opportunity. And I want to shout out to my opponent, the best in the boxing world. I am a natural fighter, and I demonstrated it tonight. I'll do it again if the people need another round. But right now, I will spend time with my family." Golovkin did not participate in the fight but walked backstage where he underwent stitches for a bruised eye. According to the judges, he reacted angrily to his defeat by saying, "I'm not going to say who won tonight because Canelo won," instead. I thought it was a good fight for the fans and very thrilling. "I wish I fought better than he did," says the writer. Both fighters were open to a trilogy.

The tournament attracted a live gate of $23,473,500 from 16,732 tickets sold. This was lower than the first round, but it was also the fourth largest-grossing gates in Nevada boxing history. The competition attracted 1.1 million PPV buyers, which was lower than the first round; however, due to being priced at $84.95, it generated more revenue at $94 million.

For the WBA (Regular) super middleweight title, lvarez announced in October 2018 that he would challenge 31-year-old British boxer Rocky Fielding (27–1, 15 KOs) at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York, New York, for the first time in his career. DAZN announced on October 17 that it had signed a five-year, $365 million contract with lvarez, under which his next 11 fights will be broadcast in the United States by the subscription sports streaming service. With lvarez vs. lvarez vs. Symbiose, the match will begin. Fielding and replacing his late deal with HBO (which also announced the cancellation of boxing telecasts). After repeatedly knocking Fielding with body shots, Varez won the one-sided match via third-round technical knockout. Referee Ricky Gonzalez called the game off following Fielding's fourth knockdown.

On 4 May 2019, Varez defeated IBF middleweight champion Daniel Jacobs by unanimous decision, 115–113, 116–112, in a unification match at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. When not achieving Jacobs' IBF middleweight title, lvarez defended his WBA (Super), WBC, Ring, and lineal middleweight titles.

At the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on September 13, 2019, lvarez announced on social media that he would increase two weight classes to face WBO light heavyweight champion Sergey Kovalev. Kovalev won with his jab, but lvarez mainly used power punches to stop Kovalev in the eleventh round, making him the world champion in the 11th round. On two of the judges' scorecards, lvarez led 96–94, with the other scorecard still at 95–95. Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard,, and Mike McCallum were the only three former middleweight champions to win a championship at light heavyweight. Only Hearns, Leonard, and Alvarez himself began their careers at welterweight level, claiming the honour at the 175 pound level.

After the war, Kovalev said he had always been unlikely to win the contest due to the grueling schedule of back-to-back training camps that resulted from the brief period of time between fighting Anthony Yarde and lvarez, but he had decided to fight the latter regardless due to the generous financial reward. According to reports, lvarez himself received a $3 million reward for the fight. Kovalev was branded a "poor loser" by the lvarez, who reacted angrily.

The Ring Magazine, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, and the Boxing Writers Association of America selected lvarez as the year's champion of the year for his 2019 campaign.

Since a complaint was filed for breach of contract, lvarez was released from his Golden Boy Promotions contract on November 6, 2020.

On November 17th, lvarez revealed on social media that he would be facing undefeated WBA (Super) and The Ring super middleweight champion Callum Smith on December 19, 2020, with the vacant WBC championship also in play. The confrontation took place at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Eddy Reynoso, the fighter's manager, confirmed that he had been sparring with undefeated heavyweight Frank Sánchez in preparations for the fight. 119–109, 117–111, 119–111. lvarez led the action over 12 rounds, inflicting Smith with a detached left biceps fracture as he lifted by unanimous vote.

On January 20, 2021, it was announced that lvarez would defend his WBC compulsory challenger Avni Yldrm against WBC compulsory challenger Avni Yldrm on February 27th, Miami Gardens, Florida. Many perplexing Yldrm, who had not been in the ring since losing a technical split to Anthony Dirrell two years ago in February 2019, was greatly outmatched. Yldrm had been promoted to the mandatory role as a result of Dirrell's tumultuous loss to Dirrell, but he had been sidelined due to injury and the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite being heavily favored, lvarez, who was ordered to face Yldr.m in order to keep the WBC title, was dismissive of the critics, saying, "I don't have to explain because they are never going to be content with anything." He [Yildr] has a lot of confidence. Because he is a strong fighter, he could be risky at any moment."

After Yldr's corner threw in the towel at the end of the third round in a one-sided contest, lvarez defeated Yldrm by a third-round corner retirement. According to CompuBox results, lvarez beat Yldrm 67 (40%) to 11 (11%) in total punches and 4 (22%) in power punches to 4 (22%). lvarez threw 53 power punches in the third round. lvarez later stated that he had contracted COVID-19 prior to the war and that he had only had one month to train.

Promoter Eddie Hearn announced lvarez would face WBO champion and undefeated two-weight world champion Billy Joe Saunders in a unification fight at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, following lvarez's thrilling defense against Avni Yldrm. There was a dispute between the two fighters' camps over the ring's size before the fight: Saunders was dissatisfied with the latest 18-foot ring. Despite having boxed primarily in 20-foot rings in his bouts in the United Kingdom, he needed a 24-foot ring and threatened to pull out of the match if his request wasn't answered. Since lvarez said, "I don't care about the ring's size, I'm just gonna go in there and do my job." It isn't the only explanation he's had. He had a slew of excuses," referring to Saunders' admission of judges for the fight.

lvarez won via eighth-round corner retirement at an indoor facility in the United States despite a record breaking crowd of 73,126, when Saunders' team threw in the towel due to Saunders' fractured orbital bone as a result of an uppercut landing by lvarez. On the scorecards, 78–74 (twice) and 77–75 were winning, at the time of the suspension. lvarez landed Saunders 73 to 60 in total punches and made 53% of his power punches during the contest.

lvarez was confronted by undefeated WBO middleweight champion Demetrius Andrade who asked him when they were going to fight before accusing lvarez of ducking him in the immediate post-fight press conference. In English, Varez called him a "good soldier" and sluggishly, and criticized his resume: "Man, you fight with nobody." You're a champion, but you're fighting with nobody." "Get the fuck outta here," Andrade said after being dismissed from the press conference. Please, get the fuck outta here. "I'm gonna fuck you up right now, motherfucker."

After months of talks, Varez revealed on his social media on August 1921 that he would face undefeated IBF champion Caleb Plant in Las Vegas on November 6 in an undisputed showdown for all four major world titles in the super middleweight division, with the winner expected to become the first undisputed champion in the class. The two fighters were engaged in a brief onstage brawl during their first press conference, in which lvarez initiated physical contact during their face-off when he shoved Plant on September 2121. lvarez said he did this because he objected Plant's use of the word "motherfucker," construing it as an insult to his mother. Plant denied to reporters that he had used the common American curse word in that context. In addition, he drew attention to lvarez' hypocrisy, implying that the devil had already used the same insult against Demetrius Andrade on the night of 8 May 2021, Texas, where he fought against Billy Joe Saunders.

lvarez prevailed the fight on fight night, despite a technical knockout. In the penultimate round, he had thrashed his opponents with a left hook right uppercut combo before closing in to dismiss Plant, prompting referee Russell Mora to call off the match. At the time of the suspension, lvarez had 98–92, 96–94, and 97–93 scores ahead of him. With this victory, he became the sixth fighter to unify all belts in one division in the four-belt period.

The WBC accepted Eddy Reynoso's suggestion to have lvarez challenge Ilunga Makabu for his WBC cruiserweight title at the WBC Convention on November 15, 2021 in Mexico City. Reynoso would have never competed at cruiserweight, so Reynoso would have had to petition the WBC to order the championship fight. The cruiserweight maximum was 200 pounds, but it had been reduced to 190 pounds by the WBC due to the introduction of bridgerweight. The war was predicted to take place in May 2022. Makabu was compelled into a mandatory defense of his title in a rematch against Thabiso Mchunu on January 29, 2022, which the former champion won by split decision. Rather, it was announced on February 25th that lvarez had signed a two-fight contract with Matchroom Boxing; in the first fight, he will face undefeated WBA (Super) champion Dmitry Bivol in a match that would be broadcast live in the United States and Canada as DAZN's first pay-per-view offering.

Both three judges scored the match 115–113, giving Bivol's favor to him his second loss of his professional career. According to CompuBox punch results, Bivol had outlanded lvarez in every single round of the tournament for a total of 152 punches (29%) over a total of 710 thrown (21%), down from 84 of 495 (17%). Many journalists and analysts were drawn to the judges' official scorecards: all three judges had scored lvarez, the winner of the first four rounds, something that was roundly condemned and referred to by ESPN reporter Mike Coppinger as "puzzling." Despite widespread public opinion that Bivol was the deserving winner, lvarez disagreed with this position, saying in his post-fight interview, "I don't feel like I lost the fight." "I was wrong," he [Bivol] only won four or five rounds." He continued to say his desire to battle Bivol: "We want the match, and we're going to do better in the rematch." Despite this, a match between lvarez and Bivol did not happen immediately, as the former champion vs. WBA (Super) and IBF middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin was up against him in a triple fight as his opponent for his next fight instead.

Despite being expressing his displeasure with his loss to WBA (Super) light heavyweight champion Dmitry Bivol in a rematch, it was announced on May 24 that lvarez would instead return to the super middleweight division to defend his undisputed titles against Gennady Golovkin in a trilogy bout on September 17. For the first time in his career, Golovkin, the WBA (Super) and IBF middleweight champion, will compete in the super middleweight division, while Lavarez' sixth bout in the same weight class will be held in the same weight class.

In Los Angeles' first pre-fight press conference on June 25, lvarez referred to the rivalry between him and Golovkin as "personal" rather than simply competitive. "He always pretends to be a good guy, but he's an assassin," lvarez said of his adversary: "He always pretends to be a good guy but he's an assassin." He's an assassinationist... He's been tweeting a lot of details about me. That's why it's personal." "It makes me feel good" as he went on to discuss the possibility of sending his opponent into retirement, and he expressed surprise at his decision to make Golovkin wait four years for a trilogy bout on his own terms.

lvarez defeated Golovkin on the fight night by a unanimous vote of 115–113 (twice) and 116–112.

Film career

Canelo was cast to perform in Creed III.

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