The best punch trackers on the market
19th July 2021
By: Max Taylor
Would you believe the top pound for pound boxer in the sport right now once preferred horse riding to what he currently competes in? This is the unlikely story of yesterday’s birthday boy, Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez.
Growing up on a farm in Juanacatlan, boxing was always close to home for Alvarez, as his other brothers prioritized it as their main sport and focus which led to a professional career for them too. But it was the youngest, and least interested of the siblings who would rise to become the face of the sport today.
Mentioned in our previous article about the Mexican, he only took the sport up for self-defense purposes against bullies. Upon following his future WBA interim champion brother, Rigoberto, to the gym at merely 11 years of age, he found two trainers that would end up being his ride or die cornerman for his entire progressive career.
CANELO ALVAREZ – 5 THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW!
Only three years after entering through the doors of the Julian Magdalino gym, Alvarez found himself a silver medallist in the 2004 Junior Mexican National Championships. An accomplishment which he rectified to perfection, winning gold in the same competition the following year.
Now at 15 leaving a path of destruction no fellow amateurs dare to walk on, Alvarez faced his next challenge in the sport, the paid ranks. Turning 31 today means over half of the Middleweight King’s life has been spent as a professional boxer, and he is still years off the average age of retirement.
The first five years for Canelo life as a pro was impressive although nothing too surprising for a promising youth who left the amateur level with a 44-2 record. He won an abundance of minor, regional titles but it was the turning of the new decade that molded the red-haired star we admire so much today.
His first world title bout came in 2011 at the ripe age of 21. It was a 12-round domination against an opponent who was also the youngest sibling but of former Welterweight champ Ricky Hatton. Matthew Hatton lost out that night on a chance to win the WBC’s 154 lb strap to the rising Mexican prospect who was about to take that division by storm.
Two years later, Alvarez unified his titles by beating Austin Trout in the same weight class this time for the WBA title. What was to come in the following months though was the only halt in the road to supremacy for Canelo.
READ – THE BEST PUNCH TRACKERS ON THE MARKET
He fought ‘The Best Ever’. A young prospect who recently hit the world stage VS an aged Floyd Mayweather who had been there and done that. Money May was able to persuade Alvarez and his team to lay his titles on the line but at a catchweight two pounds below the official weight class. This stunt allowed Mayweather to excel in his masterful defensive, point-scoring style which resulted in his hand getting raised.
This is still the only loss the 31-year old has faced in 56 fights despite close calls against Erislandy Lara and unified Middleweight champion Gennadiy Golovkin. Alvarez took on the latter for a second time after a six-month ban for drug use and edged a majority decision win despite fans still deeming it a controversial result. This win unified him with almost every belt in the Middleweight division.
Since clearing out the division as he did with competition as an amateur, the established champion looked for pastures new which came in the form of the light heavyweight division. He took on the old but gold WBO champion Sergey Kovalev, beating him respectably through a vicious two punch combination that knocked out the Russian and saw Alvarez become Boxing’s 25th four-weight world champion in which he held three of these division’s belts simultaneously. Due to the WBO’s regulations regarding the frequency of a title defense, ‘The Face of Boxing’ unfortunately had to vacate the Light Heavyweight belt he broke records winning.
Canelo (which innocently translates to ‘Cinnamon’ in English) possesses a heavy-handed offense combined with a defensive consciousness which is a style to behold and is operated at a level of greatness that boxing fans will miss when it goes. Although Alvarez is already a veteran, he is relatively young for the sport and will undoubtedly feature in a few more historic events before he calls it a day.
Football has Messi & Ronaldo, Basketball has LeBron, we have Canelo!
Happy Birthday, Champ.
