Canelo Alvarez: The Relentless Mexican Boxing Superstar
Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez is a Mexican boxer from Guadalajara and a four-division world champion. His career includes title wins over Miguel Cotto and Caleb Plant, a long rivalry with Gennady Golovkin, and two separate runs as undisputed super middleweight champion.
Boxing career and major results
Álvarez began boxing as a teenager in Jalisco. Premier Boxing Champions records a 44–2 amateur mark, including a silver medal at the Junior Mexican National Championships and a national junior title. He turned professional at 15 in 2005 and developed under trainer Eddy Reynoso, whose gym gave him the nickname “Canelo,” Spanish for cinnamon.
As a professional, Álvarez won world titles across four weight divisions. In 2015 he defeated Miguel Cotto for the WBC middleweight title; in 2018 he moved up and stopped Rocky Fielding to win a super middleweight belt. He beat Gennady Golovkin in September 2018, before the Fielding bout, and later stopped Caleb Plant in November 2021, becoming the first undisputed super middleweight champion in the four-belt era.
His undisputed status changed more than once. The IBF stripped Álvarez in July 2024 after he did not make its mandatory defense against William Scull. Álvarez regained undisputed status by outpointing Scull on May 3, 2025, then lost the four super middleweight titles to Terence Crawford by unanimous decision on September 13, 2025. That loss ended his second undisputed reign.
Álvarez’s record includes a mix of high-profile rivalries, title changes, and comebacks. His bouts with Golovkin drew particular attention: their first meeting ended in a draw in 2017, Álvarez won the 2018 rematch, and he won their third fight in 2022. His wins over Cotto, Amir Khan, Plant, and Scull helped make him one of the defining boxers of his era.
On October 31, 2026, Álvarez defeated Christian Mbilli by unanimous decision in Riyadh to reclaim the WBC super middleweight title. The judges scored it 115–112, 116–111 and 117–110.
Sources
Sources: Premier Boxing Champions’ Álvarez biography and bout history; World Boxing Council career summary; WBC on Álvarez defeating Mbilli; Los Angeles Times on the scorecards; Reuters on the Scull fight; Reuters on Crawford’s win; CBS Sports on the IBF stripping.
Career records and reporting: wbcboxing.com.
Tags
Boxing, Boxing History
