Boxing Social Magazine #4 - Cinco de Mayo Edition

ISSUE FOUR MAY 21

002 OCTOBER 2020

CINCO DE MAYO EDITION CONTENTS

ISSUE 0O4 MAY 2021 004-005

004- GREAT EXPECTATIONS -005 CANELO STALKING CHAVEZ 006- WHAT LIES BENEATH -009 CANELO IN HIS OWN WORDS

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010- TIME TO DELIVER -013 SAUNDERS EYES CINCO GLORY

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014- THE REAL CANELO -017 SULAIMAN ON ALVAREZ 018- THE LEGENDS -031 OF MEXICO

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TOP 10 MEXICAN GREATS

032- MAKING OF -040 A SUPERSTAR

THE EVOLUTION OF CANELO

PUBLISHER

EDITOR

DESIGNER

COVER ILLUSTRATION

ROB TEBBUTT ELEANOR STEEDEN

MARK BUTCHER HARVEY FINCH

WRITTEN BY GRAHAM HOUSTON, MARK BUTCHER, LUKE G. WILLIAMS, PAUL ZANON, CRAIG SCOTT MAY 2021

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MARK BUTCHER BELIEVES CANELO ALVAREZ IS CURRENTLY ON COURSE TO BE REGARDED AS THE GREATEST MEXICAN FIGHTER OF ALL-TIME.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS n the early 1990s, I would religiously travel to my grandparents’ home to watch the latest Julio Cesar Chavez title fight on a one-day tape delay, rather effortlessly avoiding the result as there was no internet or social media distraction in those times.

My grandfather was always one step ahead with technology. He owned a Phillips video recorder way back in the 1970s, which involved inserting a colourful, red, green or blue, brick-like cassette and taping off the television to the wide-eyed astonishment of his neighbours.

There weren’t exactly dinosaurs roaming the streets, but it felt like a distant, almost untroubled, era, free of the lingering cloud of opinions that don’t matter, blabbering 24-hour news cycle and endless background noise.

So, it was inevitable he would be among the first to have a satellite TV package and, as my interests evolved, the Chavez fight became a magnetic draw to me in the formative days of Sky television. To the boxing hardcore, Chavez was the king,

004 MAY 2021

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SAUL ‘CANELO’ ALVAREZ HAS WON CROWNS IN FOUR WEIGHT CLASSES, VANQUISHING THE BEST ALONG THE WAY WHILST APPEALING TO A MORE MAINSTREAM MARKET DUE TO HIS UNDENIABLE CROSSOVER APPEAL.”

PHOTO FROM ED MULHOLLAND/MATCHROOM BOXING

‘El Gran Campeón Mexicano’; a brutal, An unbeaten record is, of course, not ceaseless exponent of body-punching who necessarily a rubber stamp of everlasting would take your soul, one piece at a time. greatness and can be carefully plotted with a knowing matchmaker and Three-weight champion Chavez would amenable sanctioning body. Most war on stacked and magnificent Don observers would favour a generational King cards, chewing up and spitting out a talent like Mayweather over Chavez succession of challengers as he amassed before you factor in that Canelo (then 42an astonishing 90-fight unbeaten record 0-1) was remarkably only 23 and daring to before succumbing to the wily Frankie be great when he was dazzled by ‘Money’.

Randall in January 1994.

Ever since, Chavez has rightly been regarded as Mexico’s greatest fighting son, mostly on account of his longevity, but now that position is under genuine threat. Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez has won crowns in four weight classes, vanquishing the best along the way whilst appealing to a more mainstream market due to his undeniable crossover appeal. ‘J.C. Superstar’ cut a swathe through the 130lbs, 135lbs and 140lbs divisions before his career was side-tracked by cocaine and other addictions in his later years, but his presence in boxing doesn’t eclipse the more captivating Canelo.

A young Chavez resembled someone who would cave your head in on a Culiacan barrio whilst the more dashing Canelo looks the type who would romance your sister and charm your family at the dinner table. Looks should never matter but they always do. Canelo appeals to every Mexican fighting man and woman in the familia, opening up a cavernous market, but what matters most is Alvarez can effortlessly mix it at elite level on the front and back foot and, eerily for his rivals, seems to be improving fight-on-fight. His 12-round dissection of Callum Smith last December was a punch-perfect example of a master at work.

Naturally, Chavez believes his position as numero uno is unthreatened on account of his monumental winning streak. "Canelo is a great fighter who has earned what he has. He is definitely not going to be better than me because he already lost a fight and I reached 90 undefeated," Chavez recently told La Afición.

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CANELO IS A GREAT FIGHTER WHO HAS EARNED WHAT HE HAS. HE IS DEFINITELY NOT GOING TO BE BETTER THAN ME BECAUSE HE ALREADY LOST A FIGHT AND I REACHED 90 UNDEFEATED. ” - Julio Cesar Chavez

to improve and impress due to a feverish thirst for greatness, allied by master trainer Eddy Reynoso’s meticulous eye for detail.

Canelo is evidently the best pound-forpound fighter in boxing today despite hipster shouts for Naoya Inoue and a brilliant but professionally stagnant Terence Crawford. But can he be Mexico’s greatest ever? That mantle is tantalisingly in reach. Mexico’s finest often burn out early or embark on madcap, roller-coaster careers, but Canelo’s resume is one of measured brilliance and consistency with no sign of relenting. He already has longevity, quality of opposition and numerous accolades in the bank but only the closing chapter of his career will unveil the final answer.

A career in progress is always tricky to assess historically, but should Canelo become the first undisputed Mexican world champion of the four-belt era, as is his aim in 2021, he is certainly knocking on the door of Chavez’s throne room. Great expectations are on course to be realised.

Canelo was outclassed but re-emerged a better fighter and man for the experience, in the pattern of all the greats who fell and rose before him.

The hips don’t lie, but the stats often do.

In Chavez’s 44th bout, he won his first world title against Mario Martinez, yet only three fights earlier he defeated a debutant in bout No.41. Canelo’s path to greatness was already much further down the line at the same stage of his career as a precocious, unified world champion with seven title wins in the bank.

Chavez boasts the sheer numbers, but Canelo almost seems to feel a responsibility to meet and beat the best.

In recent times, he has carried boxing on his freckled shoulders. His 24 rounds with Gennadiy Golovkin divided opinion, but illustrated his worth and machismo at the highest level. Yet Canelo continues

PHOTO FROM WBC - JUAN CARLOS MANZANO/GERALDINE DAVIES

MAY 2021 005

WHAT LIES BENEATH CANELO IN HIS OWN WORDS CRAIG SCOTT TALKS TO BOXING’S PREMIER OPERATOR CANELO ALVAREZ AND DISCOVERS WHAT MAKES THE MEXICAN MAESTRO TICK INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE RING. exchanged between opponents when separating at the end of the second session.

Canelo, with red shorts and hardly a bead of sweat dripping from his red hair, hasn’t really cracked a smile during another he chiselled cheeks of Mexican tiresome fight week. superstar Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez Liverpool’s Rocky Fielding, posing earlier are inflated and then sharply emptied as in the build-up, posturing in front of New he steps towards the centre of the ring York’s Empire State Building, looked like to commence the third round of his latest a lottery winner just a couple of feet from world title fight. Under the lights once the Guadalajara native. Alvarez, though, again for the world to see, at least stared through the lens, completing at surface level. one of his many, contractual media It’s all business this time; there are no obligations. There was no emotion – confident grins thrown to broadcast not on the face of the challenger. cameras between rounds, or words

DECEMBER 15, 2018.

MADISON SQUARE GARDEN, NEW YORK

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Meeting Fielding head-on at the beginning of the third round, fresh from scoring knockdowns in each of the previous two, Canelo looked scarily serious. Or bothered by something or someone. Still, he punished Fielding in New York that night, savaging the taller man’s body, finishing him in that third round, and immediately switching focus to his embattled personal life.

PHOTO FROM ED MULHOLLAND/MATCHROOM BOXING

Stablemate and friend Ryan Garcia, still in the infancy of his own, exciting professional career, had withdrawn from a proposed fight with Dominican Javier Fortuna just a week before Alvarez spoke with Boxing Social. Anxiety, mental health concerns and the pressures of mounting public expectation; life in a fishbowl can do that to you.

“We are here just to support Ryan; we don’t know what happened there, only he knows, but I just know that we are here to support him,” Canelo explained, discussing his own mental health and any scrutiny surrounding his career trajectory. “Thank god, no [I haven’t suffered with these issues]. I have had problems many times, personal and professional, but I‘ve always been available to go forward, to keep going and to do my thing. That’s it. In this life, out there, there is a solution. t has recently come to light during an interview with Graham Bensinger that one of the superstar’s brothers was kidnapped just days from the Fielding bout. And so that particular fight week was composed of answering repetitive questions from boxing’s hordes of headline-thirsty media; and attempting to meet less-familiar demands from Mexican hostage negotiators.

Alvarez, 30, isn’t often forthcoming about his personal life, but when the mask slips, it becomes apparent that everything that takes place outside of the sanctity of Eddy Reynoso’s gym or the squared circle still has a material effect.

Of course, it does. Now, Canelo is stuck in another box, trapped on the middle of my screen answering questions ahead of his three-belt unification bout with Britain’s Billy Joe Saunders.

Alvarez has been fighting for money for over half of his life now, though the purses and venues have drastically varied. Chepo and Eddy Reynoso, the father-and-son training duo who have loyally fronted Team Canelo, once claimed an additional 10 professional fights should appear on their fighter’s resume, but the events were so poorly organised and low profile that they decided to admit defeat, archiving another 10 brutal knockouts.

“This doesn’t worry me at all; there’s no way to please everyone. I could be fighting only world champions and there’s always going to be an excuse. But the reason they didn’t look so good in the fights is because they were fighting Canelo. We’re never going to please everyone. When I think somebody is on my level and I fight with them, then [it’s clear] they’re not on my level. I just need to find that out on the day of the fight.”

But has Canelo – a manager, promoter, business magnate and global pay-perview superstar – suffered when balancing the rigours of success from a punishing sport at the top level? Boxing is his life, sure, but hurriedly painting contentment over anguish could surely take its toll.

With a list of victims that remarkably includes: Gennadiy Golovkin, Sergey Kovalev, Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Amir Khan and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, what more can the Jalisco-born modern-day boxing great do to impress his shrinking school of detractors?

“No boxing, no life; it means just that for me. I train every day, fight every day and that’s what it means. With no boxing, there’s no life,” explains the world’s poundfor-pound best fighter, telling Boxing Social that the slogan slapped across hats and clothing isn’t purely for commerciality.

“I love boxing; I love putting my name in the history of boxing. For me, it’s about making history because I want to be the only one to become [undisputed, four-belt] champion at 168 in the history of boxing.

That’s very important for me.”

PHOTOS FROM JOEL PLUMMER/ZUMA WIRE/ALAMY & ED MULHOLLAND/MATCHROOM BOXING

MAY 2021 007

MARCH 5, 2011.

HONDA CENTER, ANAHEIM. he fresh-faced Mexican prodigy pounds a heavy bag wrapped in Sellotape; a tricky but worthwhile bit of ‘boxing gym DIY’ to cut down the costs of replacing it. Canelo, just 20, is preparing to fight Matthew Hatton, his first of six British opponents and – to this day – the only one who has managed to hear the final bell.

The Alvarez who appears in this pre-fight documentary is one without pressure or great expectation, but filled with hope.

One minute he is working hard in their small, almost-hidden gym with its pale blue entrance; the next, he is on horseback, reconnecting with his childhood. Chepo Reynoso spoke of his charisma, his good “For now, unifying all of the titles at looks and star quality from an early age.

168lbs is my goal. I already did this with But he also placed the importance on Callum Smith and next up is Billy Joe winning fights – and winning them well.

Saunders. If everything goes right, then The dusty streets of Juanacatlán provide next up is Caleb [Plant],” he explains, a backdrop to those early days, when half-smirking when thinking about just Canelo was dubbed “freckles” and picked how far Team Canelo have travelled on for his Irish appearance; but now, he together. Nowadays, with his plans to doesn’t visit Mexico as much. Over 10 open gas stations, expand his real estate years ago, life was simpler. But he didn’t holding and continue ploughing money have as much, and he couldn’t give any of into boxing, taping the heavy bag back it away. Now a father to four children of his together at his current, state-of-the-art own, Alvarez has a far clearer idea of his training facility seems unlikely. short-term and longer-term goals.

“I’m a completely different fighter from back then, [even] six or seven years ago,” he tells Boxing Social. “I have more strength, I’m more mature, I learn dayby-day, and I think I have shown this throughout my career. Like I say, I have this goal to be undisputed at 168, but then we don’t know [what comes next]. Of course, I focus on bringing on new brand partnerships, but I’m especially focused on fighting. I must keep winning.

“

“

“SEVEN YEARS,” CANELO ALVAREZ STATES, WITHOUT HALF-A-HEARTBEAT FOR THOUGHT. “SEVEN YEARS MORE.”

ilence falls over the call until realism re-enters the room.

Although a veteran of 58 professional fights (or 68 if you include those that have dissolved into Mexican folklore), the fact remains that Alvarez is only 30-years old.

His claim that he’ll continue fighting for another seven years seems odd at first, given that he has everything one man could need, and still has his faculties well and truly intact. On deeper investigation, his love affair with the sport of boxing finds itself in a prolonged honeymoon period.

Seven years ago, he had just beaten Alfredo Angulo, and was yet to tackle the fiddly Cuban, Erislandy Lara.

Since then, he’s been involved in constant world title fights, fought at catchweights and toppled a notorious light-heavyweight danger man, all the while racking up hundreds of millions of dollars for his broadcast partners HBO and DAZN. Another seven years of this?

Where can he go?

I HAVE MORE STRENGTH, I’M MORE MATURE, I LEARN DAY-BY-DAY, AND I THINK I HAVE SHOWN THIS THROUGHOUT MY CAREER.”

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Standing at the top of the mountain means four, the brother to seven siblings – most only looking down, but Alvarez isn’t worried of them professional fighters, the odd one about that – he is enjoying the view. out with his red hair and fair skin.

First up, at Jerry Jones’ AT&T Stadium in Texas on May 8, is reigning WBO super-middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders, the slick but inconsistent southpaw from the United Kingdom. “I expect him to be in his best shape. I know that he has maybe not faced as many big names, but I expect him to be in the mindset of coming to face me.

I’ll be ready to face the best version of him and I know he’s going to do the same.

The fact that he’s a leftie, for starters, I think that makes him more complicated.

His foot work is great and he’s a really good fighter.”

Canelo demonstrates that cheeky, charismatic side, referenced by Reynoso Sr 10 years ago, when responding to Saunders’ concerns regarding fair officiating: “Excuses, excuses…” he laughs, telling Boxing Social that he doesn’t think the judges’ seats at ringside necessarily need to be filled. “I’m in the USA and I’m Mexican. We’re fighting in the USA – not Mexico. I hope we don’t need the judges.

I hope 8, 9 or 10 rounds. That’s what I expect, but maybe not, we’ll see.”

“

I HAVE THE BEST PEOPLE AROUND EVER SINCE I STARTED BOXING – THEY ARE MY FAMILY. ”

Through excelling between the ropes, he has made himself a target financially. But, as he explained to Bensinger, he wasn’t worried then, and he isn’t worried now.

These things happen, right? Maybe not to everybody.

By his side throughout his tenure as an amateur and professional, the founding members of Team Canelo, Chepo and Eddy Reynoso, continue displaying the loyalty often found wanting in our sport. Now, their stable includes Ryan Garcia, reigning WBC flyweight world champion Julio Cesar Martinez, former unified heavyweight world champion Andy Ruiz, two-weight world champion Oscar Valdez and promising Cuban heavyweight Frank Sanchez.

n his return to Texas, Alvarez is expected to comfortably defeat another champion. A small contingent of British fight fans and loyal insiders will argue otherwise, but they always do.

This portion of Canelo’s career is about more than fighting, though. It’s about control. Entering his thirties, he is the owner and sole proprietor of the sport’s most commercially successful enterprise Santos Saúl Álvarez Barragán, the Irish-looking kid from Guadalajara.

“They are the best,” states Alvarez, simply.

“I have the best people around ever since I started boxing – they are my family.

They’re both like family, I don’t know what more detail I can give you. Both have been important in my personal and professional life. It’s a team and you need to have a trainer to become who you are. In this case, it’s Team Canelo, that’s why we call ourselves that. And I don’t think [Eddy] would be the same without me, just as I would not be the same without him. It’s a team and we need each other.”

After breaking ties with Golden Boy Promotions last November, he has set himself up to reign supreme for the next seven years (maybe more – we know what boxers are like). His journey has been fascinating and often, external to boxing, it has been unreported. Canelo: the father of

The WBC and WBA Super 168lbs world champion knows the importance of domination for his fans back in Mexico, and those who have followed in his footsteps, chasing a slice of the American dream: “I think between Mexicans, we can relate to each other – especially the ones

PHOTOS FROM ED MULHOLLAND/MATCHROOM BOXING

who come to the US to make a better life for themselves. We can relate to one another and support each other.

“Yes [I am the pound-for-pound number one], I’m proud of that. I’m Mexican and I am number one. Since I was a kid, I always thought I was the best. Since I was an amateur fighter, I thought I was the best.

Then, as a professional fighter, I was the best at that level. Now, I feel the same thing – but I train like I’m not.”

Canelo will give us plenty during the buildup to his May 8 unification; a lot of boxing content, showcasing his skills, ability and professionalism. But it’s what lies beneath that continues fascinating fans.

As the remaining portion of his career unfolds, which parts of his life will he give us a glimpse of? What will he bury, to save face or to focus on the dangerous tasks at hand inside the ring? Showing weakness is unacceptable in boxing, but maybe even more so in business. There are arms and legs to Team Canelo I’m sure we’ll never hear about because boxing remains their priority. No boxing, no life. He loves it more now than he did aged 13, when he was winning junior amateur championships and trying desperately to entice kids to fight him.

Through difficult times personally and professionally, Canelo reminded Boxing Social what keeps him so well centred: “In this life, out there, there is a solution.”

MAY 2021 009

TIME TO DELIVER

SAUNDERS EYES CINCO GLORY LONG REGARDED AS ONE OF BRITAIN’S MOST GIFTED FIGHTERS OF RECENT TIMES, WBO SUPER-MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION BILLY JOE SAUNDERS CAN PROVE HIS WORTH ON BOXING’S GRANDEST STAGE WHEN HE FACES WBA SUPER AND WBC TITLE HOLDER CANELO ALVAREZ AT THE AT&T STADIUM IN ARLINGTON, TEXAS, ON MAY 8. SAUNDERS HAS FINALLY SECURED A CAREER-DEFINING FIGHT AND, ALONGSIDE TRAINER MARK TIBBS, TELLS PAUL ZANON HE WILL DELIVER WHEN IT MATTERS. 010 MAY 2021

PHOTO FROM MARK ROBINSON/MATCHROOM BOXING

MAY 2021

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The plan is not very difficult for boxing people to see what we have to do and it’s not very difficult for people to see what Canelo needs to do. Canelo will do what he does and Billy Joe Saunders will do what he does. That’s as far as I can say. It’s all about who can pull it off under the pressure on the night and the best man will win. I’m confident Bill will deliver on the night.”

Despite being a huge underdog, Mark Tibbs is confident his charge is more than capable of upsetting the odds on foreign soil on May 8 in Texas. The East Londoner explained the impact of preparing for the bout Stateside. “It’s the same as training everywhere else really in terms of facilities and what you do with those facilities. The only big difference is the jet lag, but we expected that, which is why we got here early.

“The Americans have been treating us well and we have a good friend of Billy Joe’s called Hughie and his dad, George, who are local Las Vegas people. I think they’re American travelling people. They have really looked after us and pointed us in the right direction if we needed anything at all. They’re always on the end of the phone and always deliver. We’re in good hands.

Outside the gym we also haven’t had any problems. As soon as we’re in the shopping centre or walking through a casino, which is not very often, everyone has been very nice. I think they like our English accents! We train twice a day at certain times and then we rest and we eat. Let’s be clear, this really ain’t a holiday.

It’s all about the focus.”

In addition to fighting the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet, Saunders and Tibbs will also have to deal with a crowd of 70,000 fans at the AT&T Stadium, Arlington, predominantly cheering for the Mexican known as ‘cinnamon’ in his native language. Two-weight world champion Saunders, fresh off his last sparring session, expressed: “That’s the bit I’m looking forward to.” Tibbs concurred with his fighter. “It doesn’t matter to me. Me and Bill are here to do a job. It’s only us in the ring at the end of the day. Yes, it’s an understatement to say we’re in the lion’s den, but I like to think that me and Billy Joe Saunders feed off whatever hostilities we’re up against. That only pushes us to perform. We’re in it and we need to get on with it. Simple as that.”

It’s no secret that weight and discipline have been a problem for Saunders in the past. However, photos of the 2008 Olympian showed him boasting a ripped physique one month ahead of the bout. Hatfield’s favourite fighting son explained: “Camp is going really well. I’ve hit the ground running. It’s all looking good and it’s not really been a slog to get the weight off. I put a lot of hard work and dedication into this one, which had to happen. I’m fit, strong, prepared and ready to rock and roll. I’m feeling good and we’re ready to go.” Tibbs added: “Billy Joe has had a wonderful back-to-back camp with the [Martin] Murray fight, then we had

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Christmas and we were back out to Fuerteventura and here we are now in Vegas. We’ve done a bit of training at the Top Rank gym initially and now we’re finishing off at the UFC gym, which has been brilliant because we can get a bit of privacy and more focus here. I must say, we’ve had good sparring. I won’t mention names, but we started off with three sparring partners and, as the weeks went on, that filtered down to two, then one. It went very well. It’s been a long, long time and, once the fight’s over, I can’t wait to get back home to tell you the truth. But for now, it’s business first. We’re fully focused, Bill’s in great shape and we can’t wait for May 8.”

Tibbs, alongside his esteemed father Jimmy, helped to take Saunders from boxing debutant in February 2009 to world champion in 2015. Twelve years after his first outing, Tibbs discussed the current version of Saunders in advance of his clash with the elite Mexican. “I don’t remember him being this serious since the Andy Lee fight. Since then, he’s been around a few trainers and he’s equipped himself with new elements to add to his game. Things that work for him. As soon as I came back working with him in the Murray fight, after having previously been the assistant to my dad, I could see the maturity in his body and also how he’d progressed as a person. He’s always been a great boxer and will always do what he does best. He’s great to work with and, when we talk boxing and tactics, he delivers, which also means he must believe in what I’m saying. I’m always on him to close certain gaps, take advantage of them and pinch certain inches. I can’t go into too much detail with that. Most importantly, I keep encouraging him to fight with his brain and not his heart.

Bill’s in a good place for this fight.”

Despite Canelo’s team already planning fights beyond the Saunders clash, distractions haven’t affected camp according to Tibbs. “That doesn’t annoy me. It says to me that they’re underestimating us, so, that to me, is an advantage to Billy Joe. We don’t listen to all that. We just crack on. We can’t control what people want to do. If they want to plan that far ahead, more fool them. They should just concentrate on the job in hand. Some people would see it as insulting to air that they’re planning a fight after Bill before we’ve even had it, but that doesn’t piss me off and I don’t think it pisses Billy Joe off either. The opposite. It drives us to win.” Having beaten six other Brits, Canelo vows to add Billy Joe to his list of victims. Saunders added. “We’re going to see on May 8. Save the best to last.”

Tibbs gave his take on Guadalajara’s golden boy. “He’s the best.

A brilliant pound-for-pound fighter. He’s a proper, front foot boxfighter who’s a quick counter puncher, like Billy Joe. Both fighters are at the pinnacle of their careers and they’re both the best in that division. It’s going to be like a matador and bull type of fight, with Billy Joe being the matador, of course. Canelo’s got to bring his ‘A’ game and I hope he will.” Saunders was a little more tongue in cheek regarding the Mexican multi-weight champion.

On being asked if Canelo was genuinely his idol, as previously stated, he replied: “Use your imagination there.”

With only a matter of days to go, Tibbs explained the version of Saunders he hopes to see on fight night. “He’s got to be the best Billy Joe Saunders and I’m confident he will [be]. He’s got to be switched on for 12 rounds. We ain’t gonna run. Bill has god-given talents with his boxing IQ and fleet-footed footwork. Also, it’s in his nature to read and study what’s in front of him. I mean this respectfully, but we’re going to box and outfox, and give Canelo Alvarez a boxing lesson.

“Canelo and his team are saying what they believe in and Bill’s saying what he believes in. All will become clear on May 8. The old saying is that a good boxer will always beat a good fighter.

I believe he’ll feed off the pressure and pull off a perfect game plan.” When asked for his prediction, Saunders added: “Tune in and watch, my man. Tune in and watch.”

With a record of 58 fights with only one blemish and two draws, Saunders reflected on Canelo’s best win. “I’d look at his loss against Floyd Mayweather instead. I’m not worried about his wins.” Saunders, armed with an unbeaten record of 30 straight wins, chose his best victory. “All of them. Winning is winning.”

PHOTOS FROM MARK ROBINSON/MATCHROOM BOXING

MAY 2021 013

THE REAL CANELO

S U L A I M A N O N A LVA R E Z

WBC PRESIDENT MAURICIO SULAIMAN PROVIDES A PERSONAL INSIGHT INTO THE REAL SAUL ‘CANELO’ ALVAREZ, CHARTING HIS RISE FROM NOVICE TO CHAMPION, WITH LUKE G. WILLIAMS. o many fight fans – particularly those outside of Mexico - Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez is something of an enigma.

Despite the fact the unified WBC/WBA 168lbs champion and pound-for-pound king can speak excellent English he invariably converses in Spanish in interviews and media appearances, with his responses and pronouncements tending towards concision, rather than verbosity.

The 30-year-old also closely guards the details of his family and private life, while his pronouncements and posts on social media are controlled, almost anodyne.

In many respects, Canelo’s low-key nature outside of the ring is the perfect antidote to the social media age in which we live – he’s a throwback to a time when fighters let their fists do the talking rather than their Instagram stories.

Nevertheless, residual collective curiosity remains: who is Canelo? And what is he really like?

One man who knows him better than most is Mauricio Sulaiman, whose presidency of the WBC, which began in 2014, has run

in parallel to some of Canelo’s greatest triumphs, including his reigns as WBC middleweight and super-middleweight champion (Canelo also held the WBC super-welter title from March 2011 until September 2013, when he lost to Floyd Mayweather).

Sulaiman shared his insights on Canelo with Boxing Social.

“It was a long time ago that I first met Canelo,” Sulaiman said. “He was a young kid who started getting a lot of attention in Mexico because of his looks – young, shy, red-haired and with freckles, but he built such an impressive record by fighting often after turning professional aged just 15.”

Canelo was one of the first beneficiaries of a unique scheme in Mexico, the Ring Telmex-Telcel programme, which was launched in 2008 and masterminded by Mauricio’s late father Jose – then himself the WBC president - and prominent Mexican business magnate Carlos Slim.

“We flew Canelo to Mexico City, met him and he entered the programme,” Sulaiman explained. “Carlos Slim had talked to my father about a way he could help Mexican boxing. When the programme started it gave monthly financial aid to 24 boxers. The WBC put together a list of young kids, prospects who needed financial support in order to dedicate themselves exclusively to boxing.

“Fighters who don’t have money have to take on one, two or even three jobs sometimes and therefore can’t dedicate themselves to the sport. Canelo was in the first group.

“He was already a pro but he was part of the first generation of the programme which has gone on to produce 19 world champions from Mexico, including Juan Francisco Estrada, Miguel Berchelt and Oscar Valdez. But, of course, the most important of them all is Canelo. The programme is still running and it has been sensational.”

Mauricio explains that his father ‘Don Jose’ was a firm advocate and confidante of Canelo’s from the beginning.

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“Canelo was very close to my father,” he says. “He kept in close communication with my dad. He was very involved in the development of his career. My father always knew and always said that Canelo was going to be a superstar. He was behind him from the beginning.”

The narrative of how Canelo began fighting as a way of combatting taunts about his red hair, light complexion and freckled skin is a well-worn one. Sulaiman believes the unhappy experience of being bullied as a youngster was crucial in helping form the disciplined and focused sportsman Canelo has now become.

“Canelo is shy and he’s softly spoken, but he’s extremely secure,” Sulaiman says. “He’s suffered discrimination from a young age.

But he’s very mature. He does not go out to try and sell himself.

His discipline is unparalleled. After a fight he takes one week off and then he’s back into his routine, staying in shape, Studying boxing and always continuing to improve his skills and technique.”

Defeat to Floyd Mayweather in 2013 was another crucial and formative experience, Sulaiman argues.

“That defeat could have been a career-ending experience for any boxer. He felt he was at the top and he was determined to face the best in Floyd but he lost. Everyone turned on him. He received a storm of criticism, bullying and discrimination even.

All sort of attacks.

“But through his personality and his strong self-confidence, he was able to bring himself back and build a career that is phenomenal. He learned from it and he had a vision of where he was going to go and how he wanted to get there. He’s never looked back.”

Mexican; it is loved by men and women, by the young and the old. It is a national sport without a doubt.”

Canelo is acutely aware of how special boxing is to the Mexican people and the importance of allowing ordinary Mexicans to watch his fights without having to negotiate paywalls or shell out exorbitant pay-per-view fees.

“He fights on free television in Mexico,” Sulaiman stresses. “As such his fights are always guaranteed to be watched by millions, that’s something that he has been very conscious of and has demanded - that his fights are free for the public and not on payper-view in Mexico.”

Canelo’s connection to his roots is also demonstrated by his love of family and his devotion to his native Guadalajara (scroll through his Instagram feed and you’ll see many photos of him wearing t-shirts that bear the name of Mexico’s third biggest city, which Sulaiman tells Boxing Social is renowned for “tequila, mariachi bands, football, and I would say the most beautiful women!”)

“People from Guadalajara are very proud and have strong roots and a sense of family and tradition,” Sulaiman expands. “Canelo comes from a big family, there are seven brothers and a sister and all seven brothers including Canelo fought on one card once [in 2008].

“Canelo likes to play golf, he likes cars and riding horses – he owns some beautiful horses – and he also likes to travel, but boxing is his life and he’s determined to continue his career at the top.”

Sulaiman believes that Canelo must be viewed through the prism of boxing’s unique position within Mexican culture and social history, as such he is the latest standard bearer for the sport in a country whose proud tradition of world title triumphs extends back to Jose Perez Flores (aka ‘Battling Shaw’), who was crowned Mexico’s first world champion back in 1933.

“Mexico is by its nature very good at boxing,” Sulaiman says.

“It is due to the idiosyncrasies of the Mexican people. We are very brave. When you are growing up if you have an issue in school you resolve it [with your fists]. The streets are tough.

The pride that Mexicans have is a very powerful force and part of what happens when a Mexican disciplines themselves to become a boxer.

“There is a pride to represent your family name, your neighbourhood, your state and your country in the ring.

It goes beyond anything that exists in other sports. The pride is always there to perform at your best and be ready to even die in the ring.

“That’s something that is characteristic of Mexican boxing. For Mexico, boxing is like a national treasure. It represents us all and is loved by everyone, from the poorest Mexican to the richest

PHOTOS FROM WORLD BOXING COUNCIL

MAY 2021 015

Recently footage emerged online of Canelo playfully laughing and joyfully training with Andy Ruiz Jr’s son and Sulaiman points to this as an example of the warmth and kindness he frequently exhibits.

“Those were beautiful scenes from training. Canelo loves playing with children. Those videos very much show you what kind of person Canelo is and how he likes to make those around him feel. He doesn’t have a big group or entourage around him, but he is always cheerful, he loves kids.

“He also finds tremendous pleasure in charity. He’s very charitable. He likes to help, especially those who have medical needs. He’s constantly reaching out and helping people who need surgery or are having transplants. But he doesn’t come out and talk and shout about it. That speaks volumes for Canelo.

He’s a special character.”

Indeed, for Sulaiman it is the combination of fistic excellence and global appeal coupled with his determined and kind personality that makes Canelo the most important boxer in the world right now.

“There’s always a driving force in boxing. A fighter who captures the attention of the world. We’ve had Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Julio Cesar Chavez, Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather and today it is Canelo Alvarez. He is the figurehead.

“Anyone who sees him understands that boxing is present. He’s the one who has the biggest contract in the sport, who drives the industry forward. He’s taken on that role and has done it with a great conscience. He’s been very active in the ring and is insistent on getting the best fights possible which create excitement. He’s the captain of all the champions.

The driving force of boxing.”

016 MAY 2021

“

THERE’S ALWAYS A DRIVING FORCE IN BOXING. A FIGHTER WHO CAPTURES THE ATTENTION OF THE WORLD.

”

PHOTOS FROM WORLD BOXING COUNCIL

PRIDE OF THE PROGRAMME DR. ROGELIO HERRERA RECALLS THE FOUNDATIONS THAT LED CANELO ALVAREZ TO SUPERSTARDOM, IN CONVERSATION WITH LUKE G. WILLIAMS.

r. Rogelio ‘Roy’ Herrera Echauri frequently refers to the array of fighters who have been aided by the Ring Telmex Telcel scheme - for which he acts as programme director - as his ‘godchildren’.

Herrera doesn’t play favourites, but he does admit that Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez - one of the first fighters to benefit from the programme after its launch in 2008 - is a special fighter, whose triumphs have brought him particular satisfaction.

“Over 13 years of working with the fighters, there have been many satisfying moments,” ‘Roy’ tells Boxing Social. “But undoubtedly, if we had to choose someone individually, who stands out as the culmination of stardom, it would be Saúl ‘Canelo’ Álvarez, who joined the Foundation when he was just 18 years old and who spent many years proving the worth of team support, as he developed, eventually leading to a series of brilliant triumphs.

“Canelo has nurtured and developed a wonderful image and has great charisma,” Herrera continues. “When he entered the programme, he was about to turn 18, always happy and proud of his background. He was definitely a very special young man with huge mental strength and the potential to seek and reach his goals. Alongside him was Eddy Reynoso, a coach who was very young and very studious. They remain inseparable; [Reynoso] has definitely been a fundamental part of Canelo’s tremendous success.”

Herrera then tells a story which is indicative of the quiet and unshowy way in which Canelo often does good. “At one point, due to the enormous success Canelo was having, it was decided to give him more support. When [programme president Arturo Elias] talked to him about the new economic support he would have, Canelo asked that instead of giving him more monthly support, two new grants be awarded to young fighters from his gym.

“That was how Canelo selected and supported two more rookies – and that is Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez in a nutshell. That’s why he is the greatest pride of the programme.”

“

IF WE HAD TO CHOOSE SOMEONE INDIVIDUALLY, WHO STANDS OUT AS THE CULMINATION OF STARDOM, IT WOULD BE SAÚL ‘CANELO’ ÁLVAREZ, WHO JOINED THE FOUNDATION WHEN HE WAS JUST 18 YEARS OLD ...EVENTUALLY LEADING TO A SERIES OF BRILLIANT TRIUMPHS.

”

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THE LEGENDS OF MEXICO

TOP 10 MEXICAN GREATS

IBHOF INDUCTEE GRAHAM HOUSTON DIPS INTO A GLORIOUS BOXING HISTORY TO SELECT

MEXICO’S 10 GREATEST FIGHTERS.

018 MAY 2021

PHOTO FROM ED MULHOLLAND/MATCHROOM BOXING

MAY 2021 019

10

LUPE PINTOR

ith so many great Mexican champions, who do you leave out? We decided to include former bantamweight champion Lupe Pintor in 10th position. Sadly, Pintor’s career was marred by tragedy when Welsh challenger Johnny Owen died after Pintor stopped him in the 12th round of their fight at the old Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, in September 1980.

Pintor won the bantamweight title when he came back from a knockdown to win a split decision over another Mexican great, Carlos Zarate, on neutral turf at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, and he made eight successful title defences before moving up in weight.

Although Pintor lost by knockout in the 14th round, his bout with Puerto Rico’s Wilfredo “Bazooka” Gomez was one of the great fights in the history of the 122-pound division.

“The two little warriors rocked and socked each other for 13 rounds,” Associated Press reported. “Gomez landed bombing rights and Pintor hooks and stiff jabs.” But the exchanges took more out of Pintor than they did the bigger Gomez, who ended the fight with two knockdowns in the 14th round.

020 MAY 2021

PHOTOS FROM WBC - JUAN CARLOS MANZANO/GERALDINE DAVIES

9

MIGUEL CANTO

El Maestro” Canto, the former flyweight champion, was indeed a boxing master. His career got off to an inauspicious start (two losses in his first four bouts) but he lost only one of his next 26 contests. Narrowly beaten in a championship bout against the home country’s Betulio Gonzalez in Venezuela, Canto won the flyweight title by outpointing the southpaw Shoji Oguma in Japan in January 1975. He made an astonishing 13 successful title defences, including away-fromhome wins in Japan, Chile and Venezuela. This included two narrow wins over old rival Betulio Gonzalez, one in Mexico, the other on Gonzalez’ home ground in Venezuela.

Cantos was speedy and hard to hit during his peak years in the ring. By the time Canto faced fellow-Mexican Antonio Avelar in what proved to be his last successful title defence he was slowing down somewhat, but video of the bout shows a crafty, cute boxer, very good at bobbing and ducking under punches and hitting and not getting hit, and he did well in the infighting, too, rocking back the taller Avelar’s head with right uppercuts.

PHOTOS FROM WBC - JUAN CARLOS MANZANO/GERALDINE DAVIES & WORLD BOXING COUNCIL

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8

VICENTE SALDIVAR n British boxing circles, former featherweight champion Vicente Saldivar will be best known for his trilogy with the superb Welsh boxer Howard Winstone.

Saldivar won the first two bouts on points in London and Cardiff respectively, then stopped Winstone in the 12th round in Mexico City. All were true classics of the ring.

Saldivar was a very strong southpaw, solid in his fighting stance, who punched heavily and brought steady pressure. It doesn’t seem possible that a fighter can get stronger the longer a fight goes but it must have seemed that way to Winstone when he faced Saldivar because the Mexican boxer won the first two meetings by coming on strongly in the closing rounds.

“This man’s strength — Saldivar — seems to be inexhaustible,” BBC TV’s Harry Carpenter noted in the 13th round of SaldivarWinstone I. In the rematch, Saldivar came close to stopping Winstone in the 14th round. A series right hooks and left hands had Winstone going down on one knee to take the eight count from referee Wally Thom. A follow-up onslaught saw Winstone briefly draped on his stomach over the middle rope after Saldivar landed a clubbing left hand but he quickly turned himself around to face the champion again and the referee didn’t start a count — the “ropes kept him from falling” rule wasn’t then in effect.

Saldivar’s great victories included battering Mexican-based Cuban Sugar Ramos into defeat in 12 rounds to become featherweight champion and a stoppage win in the 15th round over an unbeaten challenger Raul Rojas. Saldivar retired as unbeaten champion after seven successful title defences but made a comeback two years later and regained the title by outpointing Australia’s Johnny Famechon on neutral turf in Rome.

022 MAY 2021

PHOTO FROM KEYSTONE PRESS/ALAMY

7

ERIK MORALES

El Terrible” Morales was champion at 122, 126 and 130 pounds and he had two notable rubber-match trilogies in his career, going 1-2 against his great Mexican rival Marco Antonio Barrera and 1-2 against Manny Pacquiao, the fabulous Filipino who was described by HBO’s Larry Merchant as “a typhoon blowing across the Pacific”. I was fortunate enough to have been ringside for all these fights.

Tall and rangy, Morales was a boxer-puncher with a relentless quality. In the first of his three fights with Barrera (which I thought Morales lost) he showed his enormous fighting heart when he kept coming back throwing punches no matter how hard he was hit. Morales was a bit unlucky to have a knockdown recorded against him in the last round that night, when it looked as if he was pushed down after ducking under a left hook.

Morales’ white trunks were stained red with blood that spattered from a cut over Pacquiao’s right eye. But it was Pacquiao who finished the stronger, rocking Morales with a left hand in the last round.

This was Morales’ last major win. He announced his retirement after losing a hard-fought decision to David Diaz, the somewhat crude but rugged southpaw, in a lightweight title fight in 2007, but “El Terrible” returned to the ring three years later and, although past his best, he gave Argentina’s younger, stronger Marcos Maidana all he could handle in a valiant bid to win the 140lbs title.

In the rematch, it looked to me that Morales had scored a knockdown when a right to the body tipped Barrera over in the seventh round. However, referee Jay Nady ruled that Morales had stepped on Barrera’s foot.

It always seemed a bit unfair to me that the only official knockdown of the trilogy was recorded in favour of Barrera.

Morales was convinced he had won the rematch. “All the people who follow me and believe in me can be proud, because Erik Morales did not lose this fight,” Morales told the post-fight press conference.

Morales was at his best when defeating Pacquiao in their first fight, which took place at the Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, on March 19, 2005. The decision was close but unanimous in favour of Morales, 115-113 on all three judges’ cards. I must say that I thought Pacquiao looked the superior physical specimen at the weigh-in. Perhaps this was what caused a late show of money for Pacquiao at the Vegas sportsbooks; he closed as a 5/9 (-180) betting favourite.

The packed crowd of 14,276 saw Morales not only exhibit the heart and toughness of the true Mexican warrior but also astute ring generalship. Pacquiao fought in explosive bursts but Morales was the steadier, more consistent fighter. “Morales kept a high level of concentration, his dark brown eyes focused intently on the bundle of energy in front of him, his body swaying slightly from side to side as he waited to meet the sudden rushes of the Filipino,” I reported from ringside.

PHOTO FROM STEVE MARCUS - REUTERS/ALAMY

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6

MARCO ANTONIO BARRERA

arco Antonio Barrera’s three-fight rivalry with Erik Morales was one of the ring’s epic trilogies.

Barrera led the series 2-1 but all three bouts were close, tough struggles. He was a three-weight world champion: 122, 126 and 130 pounds.

fighter, Barrera started to use much more of a “boxing” style.

And he boxed beautifully when stopping Honolulu’s seasoned Jesus Salud in his last fight at 122 pounds, four months before meeting Hamed.

I remember the great Emanuel Steward, who was involved with Perhaps even greater than the wins over Morales was Barrera’s Hamed’s training, telling me that he was very impressed with performance in outpointing and practically outclassing Prince Barrera’s boxing ability in the Naseem Hamed in a 12-round featherweight fight at the MGM Salud fight and that he feared the Grand, Las Vegas, in April 2001. Hamed was 35-0 (31 KOs) Prince was in for a very difficult going into the fight and he was the 5/14 (-280) betting favourite. fight. He was right. Hamed had However, Barrera took command in the first round when he some good moments when he buckled Hamed’s legs with a left hook. landed southpaw left hands but he never looked like taking a grip The wide scores in Barrera’s favour would have been wider still on the contest. I rode the elevator had Barrera not been docked a point for running Hamed’s head with a disconsolate Steward as into a ring turnbuckle in the final round. we headed to our rooms after the As I wrote from ringside for Boxing Monthly, Barrera was better in fight. “Everything went wrong that all departments. And although Barrera was moving up from 122 could have gone wrong,” he told pounds, he looked much the bigger, stronger man, and also the me. But everything went right for puncher in the fight.

Barrera, who boxed a perfect fight.

“

BARRERA STARTED TO USE MUCH MORE OF A “BOXING” STYLE.”

“Hamed had never met anyone like Barrera and he had no answers against a boxer of startlingly superior talent,” I reported.

“The Mexican, at 27 the same age as Hamed, looked like a skilled veteran against an overmatched upstart.”

Barrera, in fact, reinvented himself after two defeats at 122 pounds against the hard-punching New Yorker, “Poison” Junior Jones. Instead of going into the ring as a come-forward pressure

024 MAY 2021

The fights with Morales were, of course, classic all-Mexico meetings and I was able to cover all three from ringside. I was also there when Barrera stopped Olympic gold medallist Kennedy McKinney in the final round of a blistering battle at the Great Western Forum (formerly Inglewood Forum) in Los Angeles, when Barrera scored five knockdowns but was dropped himself. Great fights, great fighter.

PHOTO FROM UPI PHOTO/ROGER WILLIAMS

5

JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ And, yes, it was awesome. “It was a marvellous fight to be sure, magnificent in the courage and competitiveness of the two fighters,” I reported from ringside.

When Marquez went back to his corner at the end of the first round, blood streaming from his nose, I thought the fight would surely be over in the next round. But, no, Marquez came back with solid, disciplined boxing.

“Once he had got over the shock of being hit so hard and so fast, Marquez was able to adjust to Pacquiao’s style,” I noted. “While Pacquiao was relying on the big left hand and using the right mostly as a flicking range-finder, Marquez used the jab, the left hook, the right hand through the middle and occasional quick bursts of punches.”

Pacquiao led the series 2-1-1 but Marquez scored the most emphatic victory of the rivalry when he flattened the Filipino southpaw with a perfectly timed right-hand counter. And Marquez’s two losses by decision against Pacquiao were both debatable.

Marquez’ victories included a ninth-round knockout over Juan “Baby Bull” Diaz in a classic experience vs youth meeting. The high-energy Diaz fought well in the early rounds but Marquez weathered an early storm before wearing down the younger fighter with precise punches. It looked anyone’s fight for seven rounds, but Marquez wobbled Diaz with a left uppercut in the eighth round and it was the beginning of the end. Diaz was down twice in the ninth and the referee waved the finish. It’s listed as a TKO but to me it was a KO, with Diaz flat on his back after Marquez drilled his bloodied opponent with a right uppercut.

three-weight world champion (126, 130 and 135 pounds), Juan Manuel Marquez was in many ways a complete fighter in that he could box, punch and control a contest whether on attack or defence.

Marquez is best known for his four-fight series with Manny Pacquiao. The first meeting saw Marquez stage one of the alltime great rallies when, dropped three times in the opening round, he came back to force a 12-round draw. It was a real back-from-the-brink type of performance. The Boxing Monthly headline read: “JUST AWESOME”.

PHOTO FROM ROB DELORENZO/ZUMA PRESS

Other notable wins were a seventh-round dismantling of Manuel Medina in an all-Mexico meeting, an 11th-round knockout over former 130-pound champion Joel Casamayor (listed as a TKO but the referee waved the finish with the Cuban southpaw down and out on the ring floor), a unanimous decision over Baby Bull Diaz in a rematch, two 12-round decision wins over always-tough Rocky Juarez, an off-the-canvas ninth round win over Aussie slugger Michael Katsidis and a unanimous 12-round decision over Mexican rival Marco Antonio Barrera.

A fight with the much bigger Floyd Mayweather was a bridge too far but Marquez closed out his fine career on a winning note by outpointing the tough and gritty Mike Alvarado.

MAY 2021 025

4

CANELO ALVAREZ

t’s risky putting an active fighter in an all-time top 10, but we’re going to take a chance with Canelo Alvarez.

We’ll put him in the No. 4 spot.

Critics might say that Canelo gets the benefit of the doubt in close decisions, and there is truth in this. The first fight with GGG, which ended in a draw, was certainly a fight where a strong case could be made for Canelo losing. But, that said, there wasn’t a lot in it at the final bell.

Canelo is a four-weight world champion: 154, 160, 168 and 175 pounds. In Canelo’s only loss in 58 fights, Floyd Mayweather was too slick, too seasoned and too smart. But that was eight years What was interesting about that first fight with GGG was that ago. As they say, Canelo is a different animal now. The Canelo Canelo finished strongly. He swept the final three rounds on the who was befuddled by Floyd is simply on a whole new level. scorecards of all three judges. It was as if Canelo had figured out Golovkin as the fight went into the late rounds.

What you have to love about Canelo is that he takes the tough fights. He has shown that he will meet anyone his weight. He The rematch was another tough, close fight, with Canelo getting twice faced dangerous Gennadiy Golovkin and took on slick a majority decision. Again, many believed Golovkin won, and a southpaws Austin Trout and Erislandy Lara, and the tall and skilful third match with GGG remains a possibility. The first two bouts Danny Jacobs. were in the middleweight division. If Canelo and Golovkin meet at 168, one would think the younger, naturally bigger Mexican Britain’s towering, undefeated Callum Smith was regarded as a fighter would have the advantage. “live” opponent for Canelo but the fight quickly turned into a rout.

Canelo’s fight with Lara was another close-run thing, a split Canelo went up to 175 pounds to knock out Sergey Kovalev, who decision. I had Canelo narrowly winning on the basis of pressure had just regained the title from Eleider Alvarez so was hardly a and heavier punching. “shot” fighter.

If Canelo could be faulted it’s that at times he seems to be a Although shortish for a 168-pounder at 5ft 8ins, Canelo has little too patient as he looks to land precise punches. The fight such excellent timing that he’s able to beat taller boxers to the with Kovalev was uncomfortably close on the scorecards after punch and even outjab them. He has excellent punch-variety 10 rounds, but Canelo ended it in devastating fashion in the and punch-economy. And he hits very hard indeed, to body and 11th. Even though his career isn’t over, Canelo has surely done head. Defence? Canelo is good at slipping punches and rolling enough to establish himself as a Mexican great. with them. And his chin looks impregnable. Golovkin can really crack, but even when he landed flush right hands he never really budged Canelo although he certainly got his attention.

“

IT WAS AS IF CANELO HAD FIGURED OUT GOLOVKIN AS THE FIGHT WENT INTO THE LATE ROUNDS.”

026 MAY 2021

PHOTO FROM ED MULHOLLAND/MATCHROOM BOXING

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3

RUBEN OLIVARES

old-toothed Ruben Olivares epitomised the great Mexican fighter. He was exciting and powerful but also possessed boxing skills.

Olivares turned professional just 10 days before his 18th birthday, as a flyweight. He went on to win and regain the bantamweight title before moving up in weight to become a two-time featherweight champion.

Arguably, Olivares was the biggest puncher in bantamweight history. Going into his title fight with Australia’s Lionel Rose at the Inglewood Forum, Los Angeles on August 22, 1969, Olivares had been taken the distance just twice (a 10-round draw and a decision defeat) in 53 fights. He knocked Rose out in the fifth round to become champion.

A sound technician, Rose had championship-fight experience to call upon and he tried to put pressure on the Mexican fighter in the first round, but Olivares moved, countered then, as the YouTube video shows, came on strongly from the second round, the hooks and right hands flowing to head and body.

The pressure that Olivares applied that night was something to behold. He was absolutely relentless, but also smart enough to duck underneath the desperate champion’s hooks and right hands — and even when Rose could catch Olivares with clean shots he couldn’t keep him off. Olivares dropped Rose in the second round, then twice in the fifth. The finish was spectacular, a left hook followed by a right hand dropping Rose face down.

(Interestingly, Olivares sent Rose’s mouthpiece flying out three times in the fight and each time referee Larry Rozadilla picked up the gum shield and popped it back in again with barely a lull in the action.)

“

OLIVARES HITS WITH BOLTS IN EITHER HAND AND HIS PUNCH-ECONOMY IS MASTERLY.”

The rematch with Castillo showed that Olivares was able to box skilfully as well as pile on the pressure. Although dropped in the sixth, Olivares won most of the rounds with superior boxing ability. “The flashy footwork of Ruben was really something to see as he danced around beautifully, keeping Castillo off-stride and making him miss,” Lew Eskin reported in Boxing Illustrated.

Olivares moved up to 126 pounds after losing the bantamweight title to Mexican rival Rafael Herrera, and he twice won the featherweight championship. Having been stopped in the 13th round by the great Alexis Arguello, in a fight where he was doing well right up until what turned out to be the final round, Olivares regained the featherweight title when he stopped colourful Bobby Chacon in two rounds, in what was his last great performance, in June 1975.

Olivares crushed Liverpool’s Alan Rudkin in the second round of a title defence. It was an outstanding result as Rudkin had been the 15-round distance in competitive championship bids against Fighting Harada and Lionel Rose.

Rudkin was dropped in the first round and twice in the second.

British writer Reg Gutteridge described Olivares as a “cruel executioner”, adding: “Olivares hits with bolts in either hand and his punch-economy is masterly.”

Olivares lost the title to fellow-Mexican Chucho Castillo on a 14th-round TKO due to being severely cut over the left eye.

But he regained the championship with a unanimous decision win over Castillo.

028 MAY 2021

PHOTO FROM WBC - JUAN CARLOS MANZANO/GERALDINE DAVIES

2

SALVADOR SANCHEZ

o one disputes Salvador Sanchez’ greatness.

Tragically, we will never know how great he might have been because he was killed in a car crash at only 23 years of age, in August 1982, just a few weeks after a successful featherweight title defence against Azumah Nelson (another great fighter although at the time not too widely known outside of hard-core boxing circles).

Sanchez left us with a record of 44-1 (32 KOs). He turned pro at the age of 16 and his only defeat was by split decision in a Mexican bantamweight title bout in 1977, in his 19th fight.

Sanchez made nine successful title defences, including a 14th-round TKO in a rematch with Lopez. Perhaps his most notable victory came when he defended the title against Puerto Rico’s Wilfredo “Bazooka” Gomez, the undefeated 122-pound champion, at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, in August 1981. Gomez had scored 31 consecutive KOs and he was a -240 (5/12) betting favourite. Sanchez made a mockery of the odds. He knocked Gomez down in the first round and went on to stop him in the eighth, when he dropped the challenger for a second time.

This was the first of many fights I saw from ringside in Las Vegas.

It was memorable. Gomez, his eyes swollen and bruised, made By 1979, Sanchez was one of the world’s top featherweights. He a courageous rally before Sanchez finally halted him after two came into the ring as the underdog when challenging Danny minutes, nine seconds of the eighth round. Sanchez was too “Little Red” Lopez for the WBC championship in Phoenix, Arizona big, too skilled and punched too hard. I got the impression that on February 2, 1980 but he dominated the hard-hitting and Sanchez could have finished the fight earlier but instead enjoyed more seasoned champion for a 13th-round TKO win. In round punishing Gomez, who had said disparaging things about him in after round, it was the 21-year-old Sanchez landing punches and the lead-up to the much-anticipated fight.

Lopez being made to miss. “Danny could not locate Sanchez throughout the fight, landing perhaps only one solid punch,” In another noteworthy showing, Sanchez defeated Britain’s John Beyrooty reported in the Los Angeles Herald Examiner.

Pat Cowdell, a competent craftsman who put up a gritty battle, and even won the fight on one judge’s card. Certainly, It was the first big upset of the new decade. “Lopez, with blood Cowdell was right in the fight for 14 rounds and despite being pouring down his face from a cut near his right eye and with his cut over both eyes had the moral victory of going the distance left eye almost closed, lost his championship on his feet after although Sanchez knocked him down with a big right hand in taking a two-fisted battering from the younger, stronger and the closing moments. Sanchez’s final fight saw one of his finest faster challenger,” Michael Katz reported for the New York Times. performances, one that looks even better with the passage of time, when he stopped Azumah Nelson in the final round at Madison Square Garden.

PHOTOS FROM WBC - JUAN CARLOS MANZANO/GERALDINE DAVIES

MAY 2021 029

1

JULIO CESAR CHAVEZ

f you’re talking about the near-perfect Mexican fighting machine, Julio Cesar Chavez has to be top of the list. Chavez, a champion in three weight classes (130, 135 and 140 pounds), brought sustained, educated pressure for round after round. He had an excellent variety of shots but the left hook to the body was his specialty.

Chavez went undefeated for his first 90 bouts, which is quite astonishing. Moving up to welterweight to challenge Pernell Whitaker didn’t quite work out although Chavez left San Antonio with a disputed draw. But while opinion seems to be unanimous that Whitaker really won that fight, Chavez nevertheless fought well against the superbly skilled southpaw.

It’s likely Chavez was past his prime when Frankie Randall took away his unbeaten record and 140-pound title, with an 11th-round knockdown scored by Randall, and the deduction of two points from Chavez’ score for low blows, deciding the issue. Yet even then it was only a split decision.

In the rematch, Chavez disappointingly seemed to quit in the eighth round after suffering a cut from a clash of heads, escaping with a split, technical decision, and this is a blemish on a tremendous career. A one-point deduction from Randall’s score proved crucial — the WBC’s “accidental butt” rule was in effect at that time in Nevada, whereby if a boxer was cut in a clash of heads, the other boxer was automatically deducted a point.

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However, there were many wonderful nights for Chavez, truly great victories. Perhaps the greatest win of all came when he moved up from 130 pounds to overwhelm Edwin Rosario in 11 rounds to become lightweight champion. Rosario was a skilled boxer-puncher from Puerto Rico. Veteran writer Jack Welsh described Rosario as “fiery but personable”. It was seen as a highly competitive match-up. Chavez was only narrowly favoured at 5/8 (-160). Yet Chavez simply walked through Rosario and broke him down.

Chavez looked unbeatable that night. “Outstanding in Chavez’s arsenal is his left hook, up and down, particularly devastating to the body,” Jack Fiske wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Fiske took note of Chavez’ “iron jaw”. Rosario had stopped 22 opponents in 26 wins but he couldn’t keep Chavez off. “Chavez’s confidence in his ability to withstand any kind of blow let him stay in the eye of the hurricane and punch offensively rather than think defense,” Fiske observed.

Chavez showed that tremendous chin when shrugging off a big right hand from Roger Mayweather before coming on to hammer the “Black Mamba” into defeat in the second round. He made nine successful defences of the 130-pound title, retained the lightweight title twice and turned back seven challengers for the 140-pound championship. This included his dominant win over Hector “Macho” Camacho (who barely survived the 12 rounds) and the dramatic stoppage victory over fellow-champion Meldrick Taylor with two seconds remaining in the bout.

“

CHAVEZ’S CONFIDENCE IN HIS ABILITY TO WITHSTAND ANY KIND OF BLOW LET HIM STAY IN THE EYE OF THE HURRICANE.”

PHOTOS FROM WBC - JUAN CARLOS MANZANO/GERALDINE DAVIES

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“THAT’S WHY I’M HERE. THAT’S WHAT I WAS BORN FOR - TO FIGHT, TO DEFEND WHAT’S MINE. I’LL FIGHT ANYONE.”

032 MAY 2021

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he star of boxing’s premier fighter Canelo Alvarez wasn’t born overnight. A glorious pro career began as a freckled 15-year-old in Arena Chololo Larios, Tonalá, way back in October 2005 before the launch of the iPhone and social networking beasts Twitter and Instagram. It was a different time, where the roots of greatness can be traced in the ever-simmering fight cauldron of Mexico.

Few on that autumnal evening in Tonalá could have imagined where the journey would take the flame-haired teenager from nearby Guadalajara. A comparatively flighty 140lbs Canelo earned just 800 pesos on his debut in scoring a fourthround stoppage over the winless Abraham Gonzalez aka ‘El Dientes’ (‘The Teeth’), but would eventually fill major sports stadiums and fight the leading names of his generation.

WTKO9 JOSE MIGUEL COTTO. MAY 1, 2010, MGM GRAND, LAS VEGAS.

After De La Hoya promoted Alvarez for a couple of standing room only bouts in his native Mexico, Canelo’s US debut took place on the Floyd-MayweatherFour-weight champion Canelo is now on Shane Mosley undercard, both future a quest to unify the super-middleweight foes for the young Mexican. Former division, having seized the WBA Super world title challenger Jose Cotto, older and WBC crowns against the previously brother of the celebrated Miguel (another unbeaten Callum Smith last December. later opponent), provided an early fright WBO king Billy Joe Saunders is next in the when he rocked Canelo with a left hook firing line on May 8 with a bout against IBF that sent the Mexican careening into the romoter Oscar De La Hoya title-holder Caleb Plant in the works for ropes. Showing his incredible resolve for could barely contain himself later in 2021. after beating Top Rank to the signature of the first time, Canelo dropped the more Canelo’s greatness in Mexico and beyond red-hot prospect Canelo. ‘The Golden Boy’ experienced Puerto Rican in the following is already assured, but here we take a look knew he had an unearthed a potential round before pounding him to a ninthat the fights that forged a legend. round defeat. gem with a sky-high career ceiling.

PHOTOS FROM COTTO-REUTERS/STEVE MARCUS

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W12 MATTHEW HATTON. MARCH 5, 2011, HONDA CENTER, ANAHEIM.

W12 AUSTIN TROUT. APRIL 20, 2013, ALAMODOME, SAN ANTONIO.

hat first world title is usually one of the sweetest memories for multi-belt champions and Manchester’s Matthew Hatton showed his customary spirit and endeavour in taking Canelo the full 12 rounds for the vacant WBC superwelterweight crown in California. But the coronation was, as expected, a hideously one-sided affair with Canelo dominating via his physicality and vastly superior skillset against a naturally smaller man. With Hatton boxing under the nickname of ‘Magic’, Canelo walked through his punches as if he wasn’t there. It was less of a boxing match and more of a brutal, legalised beating.

Hatton’s immense heart and grit saw him make the final bell and years later he joked: “I still take two paracetamol a day after facing Canelo.”

n his first unification bout, reigning WBC 154lbs champion Canelo took on slick WBA title holder ‘No Doubt’ Trout, a shock winner over the great Puerto Rican Miguel Cotto in his previous fight, with revenge firmly on his mind. Two years previously, Trout had outpointed Canelo’s brother Rigoberto in the siblings’ hometown of Guadalajara and the memory still stung. The Mexican’s harder blows and sheer will won out, with the crowd on their feet in an electric final round. After flooring then outscoring tricky southpaw Trout via unanimous decision in a lively encounter, Canelo took the WBA belt and presented it to his brother in the ring. “My brother was a big motivation for this,” said a steely Canelo afterwards. “I did this for him. He beat my brother and that’s my blood.”

034 MAY 2021

PHOTOS FROM TOM HOGAN/GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS AND TOM CASINO/SHOWTIME

L12 FLOYD MAYWEATHER. SEPTEMBER 14, 2013.

MGM GRAND, LAS VEGAS. rue boxing greats find a way to rebound from adversity and the bitter taste of a first defeat. A clearcut loss against contemporary legend Mayweather educated Canelo on what would be required to reach the pinnacle of the sport and how to adapt to any challenge. On fight night, the young Mexican was chasing shadows, the frustration evident in his eyes and exasperated demeanour as Mayweather ghosted out of harm’s way and peppered him with crisp, scoring blows. A desperate Canelo clawed back some of the later rounds as the gifted Mayweather coasted to victory, but the myopic 114-114 scorecard of CJ Ross could not paper over the cracks. The young upstart had been put in his place by the old master. Yet Canelo would examine the bones of defeat and rebuild his career on reinforced foundations to eventually take Mayweather’s mantle as the superstar of the sport.

PHOTOS FROM REUTERS/STEVE MARCUS

“THE YOUNG MEXICAN WAS CHASING SHADOWS, THE FRUSTRATION EVIDENT IN HIS EYES.” MAY 2021 035

“IT’S AN EMOTION I CAN’T PUT INTO WORDS.”

W12 MIGUEL COTTO. NOVEMBER 21, 2015.

MANDALAY BAY EVENTS CENTER, LAS VEGAS. oving up to new territory in the middleweight division, Canelo took on Puerto Rican maestro Cotto for his prized WBC belt. What followed was a fascinating back-and-forth encounter, pitting Cotto’s guile against Canelo’s brute force and aggression. The fresher Canelo seemed to hold the edge after the toll of the final bell. Yet bemusingly, the scorecards pegged the Mexican as a landslide winner by six, eight and ten rounds respectively, prompting a disgusted Cotto to storm from the ring and refuse to attend the post-fight press conference. For Alvarez, the significance of becoming a two-weight champion was overwhelming. “It's an emotion I can't put into words," he said.

"I'm very happy and much respect to Miguel Cotto. I will always respect him and he's a great champion, but now it's my era.”

036 MAY 2021

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I WILL ALWAYS RESPECT HIM AND HE’S A GREAT CHAMPION, BUT NOW IT’S MY ERA.”

PHOTO FROM TOM HOGAN/GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS

D12 GENNADIY GOLOVKIN. SEPTEMBER 16, 2017.

T-MOBILE ARENA, LAS VEGAS. dalaide Byrd’s farcical 118-110 scorecard for Canelo often obscures the fact that this was a close, rather than controversial, decision. When the two best middleweights in the world collided, there was precious little between them. The heavy-handed Golovkin was cast in the role of the aggressor with Canelo the astute counter-puncher. Some rounds rested on a punch or three and were hard to decipher before the bout went to the lottery of the judges’ cards. A surging Canelo won the last three sessions in the eyes of all three judges. Popular opinion seemed to side with a narrow Golovkin win, but everyone was unanimous that a sequel had to happen after this hotly-disputed draw. “I thought I won the fight,” insisted Alvarez. “I was superior inside the ring. I won at least seven, eight of the rounds. I was able to counterpunch and even make Gennadiy Golovkin wobble a couple of times. It’s up to the people if we fight again. I feel frustrated over this draw.” A year later, his chance would come again.

W12 GENNADIY GOLOVKIN. SEPTEMBER 15, 2018.

T-MOBILE ARENA, LAS VEGAS. he rematch was delayed after Canelo failed two tests for the banned substance clenbuterol, which he attributed to consuming contaminated Mexican meat, resulting in a six-month ban from the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Almost everyone expected the savvy Canelo to reprise his role as the counter-puncher in the hotly-anticipated ‘GGG’ rematch, but the Mexican marvel confounded us all, taking the fight to the Kazakh puncher on the front foot and exemplifying the pure machismo associated with his fighting heritage. With his faster hands and punishing bodywork, a dogged Canelo took Golovkin’s unbeaten record, WBA Super title and the majority decision in another close call that beckoned a third meeting. “I showed my victory with facts,” said a bullish Álvarez in the aftermath of victory. “He was the one who was backing up. I feel satisfied because I gave a great fight. It was a clear victory.”

PHOTOS FROM TOM HOGAN/GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS

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W12 DANIEL JACOBS. MAY 4, 2019.

T-MOBILE ARENA, LAS VEGAS. he defence and counter-punching skills of the brilliant Mexican were, once again, at the fore against dangerous New Yorker Jacobs, the IBF middleweight title holder. Showing clever head movement, Canelo illustrated again his improvement fight-on-fight and development from title-holder to titan. The Mexican built up a solid lead before the physically bigger Jacobs closed the gap with a late rally in the championship rounds, but it was not enough to convince the judges. Jacobs had been penalised $1-million on the morning of the fight after weighing 173.6lbs, exceeding a contracted fightday limit of 170lbs. But that extra bulk didn’t aid him sufficiently.

“That’s why I’m here. That’s what I was born for - to fight, to defend what’s mine. I’ll fight anyone,” said Canelo afterwards.

He was now approaching the peak of his powers.

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PHOTOS FROM TOM HOGAN/GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS

WKO11 SERGEY KOVALEV. NOVEMBER 2, 2019.

MGM GRAND, LAS VEGAS. anelo’s eye for opportunity is perhaps unrivalled in the modern game. He took advantage of a creaking Kovalev by temporarily jumping two weight divisions with a focus on becoming a four-weight champion. There would be an asterisk against that achievement at the time, given that Canelo had stopped the WBA’s secondary ‘Regular’ champion Rocky Fielding in three rounds to claim a lesser-regarded 168lbs belt in December 2018, but he would rubber-stamp that claim in 2020. WBO light-heavyweight champion Kovalev had forged a considerable reputation as a devilish puncher, but was also an accomplished boxer and he used his size and technique to leave the fight in the balance in the championship rounds.

But Canelo is a fighter of supreme heart and adaptability. He patiently waited his moment, sucking the space from the ring and stalking the tiring veteran. In the penultimate round, whilst holding a narrow two point lead on two cards (the other even), Canelo unleashed a wrecking ball by the ropes, dropping the gassing Russian with a vicious left hook and right hand for an emphatic finale.

“CANELO PATIENTLY WAITED HIS MOMENT, SUCKING THE SPACE FROM THE RING AND STALKING THE TIRING VETERAN.”

PHOTOS FROM TOM HOGAN/GOLDEN BOY PROMOTIONS

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W12 CALLUM SMITH. DECEMBER 19, 2020.

ALAMODOME, SAN ANTONIO. aving successfully negotiated a departure from previous promoter Golden Boy, this was the fight where Canelo appeared the finished article, a masterpiece decorated by the great trainer Eddy Reynoso. After Canelo decided to move full-time to 168lbs, he took on the best in the division. The unbeaten Smith’s dimensions and boxing acumen seemed poised to pose serious problems. But Canelo made a mockery of that peril, targeting and injuring Smith’s left arm to diffuse the threat presented by the Scouser’s dangerous counter left hook. Barely wasting a shot, Canelo bullied and battered the towering Smith with an excellence that underlined his claim as the premier fighter in boxing. A potential rumble became a rout as Canelo earned the WBC and WBA Super crowns to become the leading super-middleweight in the world with an ambition to be the first undisputed Mexican world champion of the four-belt era. “Smith is a great fighter, but I did a great job. I’m the best in the world,” said Canelo. “I showed what I am. I feel great at 168lbs. I don’t want to fight with the scales. One of the greatest nights and I go for more. Unify, I want all the belts. It doesn’t matter who is there.”

“ONE OF THE GREATEST NIGHTS AND I GO FOR MORE.”

040 MAY 2021

PHOTOS FROM ED MULHOLLAND/MATCHROOM BOXING

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