Canelo Alvarez knows exactly who he is when the gloves are on. A champion. A global superstar. The face of boxing.
But the question that lingers now, quietly, persistently, is who he’ll be when they come off for good.
Mail Sport sat down with Canelo, 34, for an exclusive interview in Riyadh, the first stop of a global media tour promoting his blockbuster bout with Terence Crawford on September 13.
Dressed head to toe in designer wear, sunglasses in place, Canelo looked every bit the superstar he’s become.
But during our conversation, the swagger gave way to something deeper, an honest reckoning with what it means to approach the end of a life lived inside the ring.
‘I have always said that 37 would be a good time to go,’ he said, his voice calm but his expression distant. ‘It would be a good time to retire from boxing. But the closer it gets, the harder it is to think about retiring.’
Canelo Alvarez has opened up on his retirement plans after a remarkable career in boxing
Mail Sport sat down with Canelo for an interview before his fight with Terence Crawford
The two boxing superstars come face to face during a press conference in Riyadh this week
For the past two decades, boxing hasn’t just been what Canelo does. It’s been who he is. From teenage prodigy in Guadalajara to world champion in four weight classes and the undisputed face of the sport, Canelo’s name has become synonymous with modern boxing.
And now, as he approaches the final chapters of a legendary career, the looming thought of life after the final bell is becoming as daunting as any opponent.
‘You know what, it is difficult,’ he admitted. ‘I have given boxing so much. But you need to be true with yourself about the fact it has to end at some point. I have to think about my life after boxing in a positive way.
‘I have other things to do that will [make me happy] and that’s the best way to think about it.’
For many fighters, retirement is the invisible opponent, always present, often avoided. For Canelo, it’s a conversation he’s finally starting to have with himself.
‘In October I will have been a professional for 20 years,’ he said, almost to remind himself. ‘That is a long time to commit yourself to the sport. It’s been a lot, a lot, a lot of years. So, it makes sense for me to leave at 37. But we’ll see.
‘I’m not thinking about retirement because I can’t do it anymore or because I don’t want to be in boxing anymore, it’s just that there is more for me to do in my life.’
Before that day comes, however, there are still legacies to build, challenges to meet, and, in Canelo’s mind, one of the most important fights of his career to win.
On September 13, he’ll face ‘Bud’ Crawford in Las Vegas in what promises to be a seismic clash of styles, skills, and status.
Canelo and ‘Bud’ Crawford will meet in a mouthwatering fight in Las Vegas on September 13
The Mexican superstar, pictured back in 2009, has been fighting in the ring for two decades
‘The best version of Canelo will turn up on fight night against Crawford,’ he said firmly. ‘I am always motivated for fights like this.’
It was a quiet acknowledgment of the murmurs surrounding his recent performances, especially his last outing against William Scull – a bout that broke records for all the wrong reasons.
Together, the pair combined for just 445 punches thrown across 12 rounds, the lowest ever recorded by CompuBox. Canelo threw only 152 of them. But, it wasn’t just a lack of output. It was a lack of emotion.
‘This fight with Crawford is a big fight,’ Canelo said, eyes narrowing. ‘And big fights make me feel excited. They make me want to get in the gym and put my best camp in. I am going to train my hardest and arrive to the fight in my best condition. As for the fight itself, I am going to bring my best.’
But, Canelo knows Crawford will do the same. And though the build-up has lacked the bombast of other modern fight promotions (no table flips or eggs to the face) Canelo says that’s not what this fight is about.
‘I don’t know what’s happening,’ he said with a half-smile, referring to the unusual choice by organizers to have the two fighters share a gym session and sit down for dinner together.
‘I’ve never been in the same gym with my opponent before, never in my life. It’s a very strange experience and one that I’m not really sure on. But I suppose it is happening for a reason right? They are trying to promote and sell the fight.
‘That being said, when I step in the ring it’s going to be different. We both have that killer instinct, we both want to win and we won’t stop until we do. It’s going to be a good fight. It’s going to sell itself.’
However, Canelo bristles at the idea that he’s only bringing size and power to the contest on September 13. He’s eager to remind people of the depth of his arsenal. ‘I have a lot of different skills, it’s not just power,’ he said.
Crawford beat Errol Spence to cement himself as one of boxing’s pound-for-pound greats
Canelo’s last outing against William Scull broke records for all the wrong reasons
‘I have a lot of talent. I can move, I can be fast, I can counter punch, I can land powerful shots. I have everything. If I need it in the fight, I have it and I’m not afraid to use it.
‘I am going to use everything I have to make sure I am victorious. Sometimes you don’t need to use all of those things in a fight but I have them there and ready to go for when I do. Maybe you will see in the Crawford fight.’
Crawford will test all of that. Speed. Skill. Resolve. And maybe even identity. Because for all Canelo has achieved, there’s still something at stake on September 13 that numbers and titles can’t fully measure.
‘Oh, one of the best,’ he said, when asked where a victory over Crawford would rank in his long list of accolades. ‘Beating Crawford is going to be one of the top five moments of my career.’
And that’s what still drives him. Not the noise, not the business, but the fight itself. The chance to prove, one more time, exactly who he is.
