In boxing, the mythology is stronger than in other sports. Land harder than a Deontay Wilder right hand. Contestants adapt to neat and orderly stories, narratives are drenched in hyperbole, and “story” is “done” seemingly every other weekend.
Add it all up and boxing becomes your own kind of champion, an entity with a world-class ability to transform reality into something more. But sometimes, in a few years, there is no need to exaggerate events, or enhance what happened, because a fighter achieves something that really matches the endless hype.
Such is the case with Canelo Álvarez, the reigning pound-for-pound king of the sport, owner of the most impressive resume in boxing and, in 2021, Illustrated SportsChoice of Wrestler of the year. With apologies to Josh Taylor, Terence Crawford, Nonito Donaire, and Tyson Fury, Alvarez’s selection was easy, justified, and based on true history and an ambitious plan.
The context: Álvarez began his professional career in 2005. He was 15 years old. By December 2020, he had won 53 bouts, losing only to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and registering two draws. After beating champions at welterweight, super welterweight, middleweight and cruiserweight, those defeated included Shane Mosley, Josesito López, Austin Trout, Alfredo Angulo, Erislandy Lara, Miguel Cotto, Amir Khan, Liam Smith and Gennadiy Golovkin (who also fought with Álvarez to a draw) —Alvarez could already boast of a career of the caliber of the Hall of Fame. He didn’t need to look for risks, much less target what he finally embarked on. Rather than sneak out of the arena after a long-awaited potential challenger triumphs – looking at you, Errol Spence Jr. – Alvarez settled on a mission that few fighters of his stature would even consider.
The plan, starting in mid-December 2020: to deliver a coup in the super middleweight division. Álvarez wanted to fight four times between December 2020 and November 2021. If each fight were carried out as scheduled, against the correct opponents, he would get the four main belts: WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO, and become the first “indisputable”. “Champion in the division Y Mexico’s first boxing-mad fighter to become an undisputed champion in the three- or four-belt eras.
A fighter who exists in the rare air that Alvarez breathes would hardly ever fight more than twice in any given year, let alone attempt something unprecedented in the 37-year history of a division loaded with elite champions. Sugar Ray Leonard never won an undisputed title at 168 pounds. Neither did Roy Jones Jr. nor Thomas Hearns, James Toney, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Joe Calzaghe or Andre Ward.
Álvarez, of course, is not like most fighters. (Full disclosure: I also work as a writer / producer for Showtime Total Access series, which featured Álvarez and his commitment to history at the end of last year).
The search began on December 19, 2020, when Alvarez hit Callum Smith for 12 rounds for a unanimous decision victory, along with, more importantly, Smith’s WBA title and vacant WBC belt. That night, Alvarez also became a four-division champion, claiming an accolade that only 20 other boxers have achieved.
Two months after that, Álvarez faced Avni Yıldırım, the mandatory WBC challenger whose contract stated that he would face the winner Álvarez-Smith. The fight went as expected, with Alvarez dominating and intending to deliver an early finish, which he provided after three rounds of punishment.
Next: Billy Joe Saunders, champion of England and undefeated holder of the WBO belt. With COVID-19 restrictions relaxed in Texas, they clashed at AT&T Stadium on May 8, where a crowd of 73,126 made up the largest horde ever assembled for an indoor boxing event, breaking the old record with nearly 10,000 people. the weekend of Cinco de Mayo. Mayonnaise. Saunders threatened not to participate in the fight as it got closer, and his complaint centered on the size of the ring. But Alvarez provided further proof of how strong he was last year by making a commitment: The ring would be 22 feet long, roughly half of what each enemy wanted. But size didn’t matter. Alvarez’s rare left-handed opponent didn’t matter. Saunders’ technical competence didn’t matter.
Turns out Saunders was right to be concerned. Alvarez landed a bone-breaking forehand.multiple“In the face of your opponent.” Saunders’s right eye closed with swelling. His injuries would require surgery. The referee stopped the bout between the eighth and the ninth rounds, as Álvarez obtained the WBO belt. By then, he only needed the IBF title to re-engrave his name in the boxing record books.
As the quest neared completion, only one option remained: Caleb Plant, the undefeated holder of the IBF belt. The first time the combatants stood face to face, at the first press conference to kick off a publicity tour, they came to blows. Fueled by animosity and historical implications, Alvarez faced a greater challenge than expected, but still recorded two knockouts and a TKO in Round 11. Plant fought well and yet also required treatment at a local hospital after the combat. The performance highlighted how feared Alvarez is in boxing now. Simply almost survivor The entire combat was invoiced, precisely, as proof of Plant’s good faith.
Thus, Alvarez had completed a remarkable turn through the super middleweight division in the 11 months. He triumphed in four different cities, in three different states, against orthodox and left-handed fighters, wrestlers and technicians, by decision and stoppage, in the midst of a global pandemic. He made history for Mexico and history in boxing, becoming the sixth male fighter in the four-belt era to unify a division. His 2021 proved to be even more significant than his 2019, when he beat Danny Jacobs by decision at middleweight and jumped two divisions to knock out the aging Sergey Kovalev, earning many Fighter of the Year honors (including Y‘s).
What’s fascinating is that, despite an enviable resume that includes 60 pro fights, Álvarez is only 31 years old. He’s still in what most boxers consider his prime. Where is it headed? Even, of course, to face someone like Artur Beterbiev, a unified cruiserweight champion who has finished each of his 17 stoppage wins. There is also clamor for Alvarez to face Oleksandr Usyk at cruiserweight or heavyweight, David Benavidez at super middleweight, or even one of the heavyweight champions in Fury, Wilder or Anthony Joshua. That’s further proof of how high Canelo has risen: Facing him now is like a lottery draw, albeit with a bit more pain than buying a scratch-off ticket.
Only five boxers have become champion five – world champions in five divisions – in the four-belt era of the sport. The bet here, one that is made with favorable odds, is that Alvarez will soon join them, becoming one of the best fighters of any era, without hyperbole or hype.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.