The best punch trackers on the market
17th July 2020
By: BOXING GURU
In the run up to P4P King Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez turning 30 tomorrow, here are 5 things you might not know about the Mexican star…
1. The meaning of Canelo
Canelo is Spanish for cinnamon, and from there, you get his nickname. His manager & trainer Jose Reynoso called him Canelito, or “little cinnamon”, when they first met because of his red hair and freckles.
Nicknames in boxing are almost as important as your record. They’re a point of pride, a moniker that everyone remembers you by. They’re either appointed well in advance or earned because of what you do in the ring.
The most famous Mexican boxers have typically earned their nicknames based on their in-ring exploits. Whether it be “Dynamite” Juan Manuel Marquez, “Golden Boy” Oscar de la Hoya or “Baby-Faced Assassin” Marco Antonio Barrera, they all became household names because of their marketable labels.
READ – THE BEST PUNCH TRACKERS ON THE MARKET
2. He started boxing at 13 as self-defense against bullies
A group of bullies from school helped turn Canelo into the man he is today. He learned to defend himself as a young kid and ended up in the gym at the age of 13. The main reason for it, of course, was his appearance.
It would be simplistic to say Canelo got into boxing because he got bullied. He also got hooked on the sport at the age of 11 when he saw his eldest Rigoberto fight. Once he met the father-son combination of Jose and Eddy Reynoso, who still train him to this day, his appearance was no longer something to fear.
Canelo started his pro career at the age of just 15, finishing in the amateur ranks with a record of 44-2.
3. He’s the youngest of seven brothers, all of whom have boxed professionally
The Alvarez family prides itself on prize-fighting. They’ve been that way since before Canelo came into the world. He has eight siblings, seven of whom are brothers. All of them have boxed professionally, but Canelo, the youngest of the bunch, just so happened to be the best and became the most famous.
While some of them never made it past their debuts, Rigoberto, Ricardo & Ramon Alvarez all boast over 30 professional wins. The eldest Rigoberto has also won a WBA title, while Ramon, who is still active, lost to Erislandy Lara in his last outing for the vacant WBA world super welterweight title back in August 2019.
4. He drew in his 5th fight!
A lot of people don’t know this but Canelo drew very early on in his career against Jorge Juarez. Thankfully, it came just five fights into his career and Canelo hasn’t looked back. Many fans see an early blemish on a record in a negative way but Canelo learned from it and has gone from strength to strength.
His opponent Jorge Juarez was 27 when they met inside the squared circle and Canelo was just 16. Juarez recalled the night to ESPN back in 2013:
[Canelo] threw his right hand at me with all his force. He was a one-hit fighter, and the truth is, he was strong. But he got tired in the second round, and I started to get my hands in there, and in the end, they had to make a decision. At the time, I felt that I had won, but they called it a draw [37-39, 39-37, and 38-38], they favored his youth and desire. The fight was hard-fought, he was a bit of a novice, but we got it on good. At the time, that fight didn’t mean anything to me because I never thought he would thrive the way he is doing now.
READ – THE BEST PUNCH TRACKERS ON THE MARKET
5. Unseen Knockouts
Check out the video below of some of Canelo’s earliest and best knockouts…
Don’t forget to look out for Max Taylor’s epic birthday tribute for Canelo coming up tomorrow!
