Santos Saúl Álvarez Barragán (American Spanish: [saˈul ˈalβaɾes]; born July 18, 1990), best known as Saúl "Canelo" Álvarez, is a Mexican professional boxer. He has held multiple world championships in three weight classes, including the unified WBA (Super), WBC, Ring magazine, and lineal middleweight titles since 2018, the IBF middleweight title from May to August 2019, and the WBA (Regular) super middleweight title since December 2018. Previously he held the WBA (Unified), WBC and Ring light middleweight titles between 2011 and 2013; the WBC, Ring, and lineal middleweight titles between 2015 and 2018, and the WBO light middleweight title from 2016 to 2017.

As of December 2018, Álvarez is ranked as the world's best active boxer, pound for pound, by BoxRec;^[3] third by The Ring,^[4] fifth by the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board (TBRB),^[5] and eighth by the Boxing Writers Association of America.^[6] He is also ranked as the world's best active middleweight by BoxRec,^[7] and by the TBRB,^[8] and the world's fifth best active super-middleweight by The Ring^[9] and seventh by the TBRB.^[10]

Álvarez is known as an excellent counterpuncher, being able to exploit openings in his opponents' guards while avoiding punches with head and body movement. He is also known as a formidable body puncher.^[11][12]

In an interview, Álvarez explained that he was born in the outskirts of Guadalajara, Jalisco, but his family is originally from Los Reyes, Michoacán.^[13] At the age of five, his family moved to their current home of Juanacatlán, Jalisco. Growing up on his family's farm, he learned horseback riding, which he continues today.^[14][15] Álvarez is the youngest of eight children, seven of them boys; all of his brothers also became professional boxers.^[16] Among his brothers are welterweight boxers Ramón Álvarez, Ricardo Álvarez and former Interim WBA World Champion, Rigoberto Álvarez.

"Canelo" in Spanish is the masculine word for cinnamon, which is a common nickname for people with red hair.^[17]

Álvarez started boxing around 13 years old, after watching his older brother Rigoberto Álvarez's debut as a professional boxer.^[18] In 2004 he won the silver medal at the Junior Mexican National championships, held in Sinaloa. He became the 2005 Junior Mexican National Boxing Champion in Tuxtla Gutierrez, Chiapas, at the age of 15.^[19]

Álvarez turned professional at 15, shortly after his championship at the Junior Nationals, because his trainers at the time, father-and-son team Chepo and Eddy Reynoso, were unable to find suitable junior opponents for him. In his first 19 months as a professional, he knocked out 11 of his 13 documented opponents, all of whom were significantly older. However, the elder Reynoso stated in 2013 that Álvarez had fought 10 more times in that span, winning all 10 by knockout, but that these fights (all in small venues in the Mexican state of Nayarit) were so poorly documented that it was not worth the trouble to seek to have the record corrected.^[16] His weight fluctuated in his three years as a professional including two documented fights within the Light welterweight limit of 140 lbs before he settled in the welterweight division at 147 lbs.^[20]

Álvarez' third official bout of his career was a win over future IBF lightweight Champion, Miguel Vázquez on January 20, 2006, at his home town of Guadalajara, Jalisco. On June 28, 2008, Álvarez defeated Miguel Vázquez again in a rematch. He also made world history in that fight card when he and all of his six brothers fought on the same night, Canelo being the youngest.^[21][22][23] The only downside was that three of them failed to win their pro debuts. The other four more experienced brothers won.^[24] On March 6, 2010, he got a crushing third-round knockout over Brian Camechis in Tuxtla Gutiérrez, Chiapas.^[25] Álvarez defeated Jose Miguel Cotto on May 1, 2010, on the Floyd Mayweather vs. Shane Mosley undercard in the MGM Grand Garden Arena on HBO PPV to retain his NABF Welterweight title.^[26]

His sixth-round TKO win over Luciano Leonel Cuello for the WBC silver light middleweight bout was held in the Vicente Fernández Arena.^[27] During the post fight interview Mexican singer Vicente Fernández gave Álvarez a horse. He was also given a horse by the mayor of Tepic, where Álvarez sometimes trains.^[28]

He next fought against the former WBC welterweight champion Carlos Baldomir at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on the Shane Mosley vs. Sergio Mora undercard.^[29] Baldomir stated in a pre-fight interview that he wants the winner of Mora vs. Mosley, as he said "after I knock out El Canelo."^[30] Baldomir weighed in at 153.4 pounds for the bout, that was contracted for 151 pounds. In California, if a fighter is overweight he is penalized 20 percent of his purse and that percent is given to the other fighter. However Álvarez declined to take the extra $12,000 from Baldomir.^[31] In the 6th round Álvarez landed a crushing blow that knocked Baldomir out cold. Álvarez is the only one to knock Baldomir out and is only the second boxer ever to stop Carlos Baldomir.^[32] Álvarez successfully defended his light middleweight title unanimously versus former world champion Lovemore N'dou in Veracruz.^[33] It was a competitive fight despite the wide margins on the official scorecards of 119–109, 120–108, and 120–108.

On March 5, 2011, Álvarez defeated EBU welterweight Champion Matthew Hatton by unanimous decision, for the vacant WBC light middleweight belt. The bout was televised on HBO and took place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California.^[34] Álvarez was docked a point in the seventh round for hitting after the break. All three ringside judges scored the bout at 119–108 in favour of Álvarez. He lost 1 point for an illegal punch in the seventh round, which was uniformly scored 9–9. Álvarez landed 47% of his 626 punches, including 53% of his power shots, while Hatton connected with just 25% of his 546 total blows.^[35] The fight averaged 1.4 million viewers on HBO.^[36]

Álvarez successfully defended his newly awarded WBC title against the Ring #4 ranked super welterweight and current EBU light middleweight champion, Ryan Rhodes^[37][38][39] Álvarez defeated Rhodes by a technical knockout victory in the twelfth round on June 18, 2011, in Guadalajara, Jalisco.^[39][40] The fight averaged 1.6 million viewers on HBO.^[36]

On 17 September 2011, Álvarez successfully defended his title with a TKO in Round 6 over The Contender competitor Alfonso Gomez at the Staples Center, Los Angeles, winning by technical knockout victory in the sixth round. Álvarez got a knockdown in Round 1, but there were a couple cautious rounds that left Gomez win the majority of the first five rounds. Álvarez was looking for one shot and got it in the sixth round. He backed up Gomez with a right hand and followed up with a flurry to get the referee to jump in and stop the fight.^[41]

Álvarez defeated Kermit Cintron in the 5th round by TKO. Álvarez spent the first three rounds feeling out Cintron, a former Welterweight Champion, before punishing the Puerto Rican with body shots and straight right hands in the fourth round. He knocked Cintron down once and had him in trouble at the end of the round, but Cintron was saved by the bell. In the fifth round, Cintron came out and caught Álvarez with some combinations, but Álvarez eventually overpowered him with several powerful straight right hands, and the referee stepped in and stopped it.^[42] The fight averaged 1.5 million viewers on HBO: Boxing After Dark.^[36]

Richard Schaefer announced that Álvarez's next bout on May 5, 2012, on the undercard of Miguel Cotto's clash with Floyd Mayweather Jr. at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, and co- featured, on Cinco De Mayo. On February 11, Shane Mosley was announced as Álvarez's next opponent in May for his WBC light middleweight title.^[43] Álvarez defeated Mosley after 12 rounds via unanimous decision.^[44]

Álvarez was originally set to fight Ring Top 10 super welterweight, and former Welterweight Champion, Paul Williams on September 15, 2012. However, on May 27, 2012, a motorcycle accident in the U.S. state of Georgia paralyzed Williams from the waist down, ending his boxing career. Álvarez's possible opponents for his September bout were James Kirkland, Austin Trout, Delvin Rodriguez and most notably, Victor Ortiz.

Álvarez was scheduled to defend his title against former welterweight titlist Victor Ortiz in the main event of a Showtime PPV card dubbed "Knockout Kings" from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. However, Ortiz was unable to defeat underdog Josesito Lopez in what was supposed to be a "tune-up" fight on June 23 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, losing due to referee stoppage (broken jaw) and cancelling his bout with Álvarez as a result.

Due to this upset, Lopez was instead penciled in to face Canelo at the MGM Grand on the September 15th date, to challenge for Saul's WBC light middleweight title.^[45] Álvarez won the fight via fifth-round technical knockout after dominating Lopez from start to finish to stay undefeated and increase his record of 41-0.^[46] The fight averaged 1.04 million on Showtime.^[47] For the fight, Álvarez earned $2 million and Lopez a smaller amount of $212,500.^[48]

His next fight took place on April 20, 2013 at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas against Austin Trout. The fight was supposed to take place during Cinco de Mayo weekend as the co-main event of the Floyd Mayweather Jr. bout against Robert Guerrero; however, due to a contract disagreement between Álvarez and Mayweather regarding their potential fight on September 14, 2013, Álvarez opted to headline his own card.^[49][50][51]

In front of 39,247 fans, Álvarez successfully defended his WBC light middleweight title and won the WBA & the vacant The Ring Magazine light middleweight title. During the first rounds, Trout seemed to have a good game plan. However, Álvarez's power took over after the third round, eventually scoring a knockdown in the seventh round to give Trout the first knockdown of his career. Álvarez set up the knockdown with a pawing left jab, followed by the straight right hand. The fight was closer than expected, but Álvarez still managed to dominate Trout throughout the fight with impressive head movement and shocking power. All three judges scorecards were in favour of Álvarez with a fair margin 115–112, 116–111, and 118–109.^[52][209] Although the last scorecard 118–109 created controversy, the majority of sport analysts had Álvarez winning by at least 2 points. CompuBox Stats showed that Trout was the busier fighter landing 154 of 769 punches thrown (20%) and Álvarez was the more accurate puncher landing 124 of his 431 thrown (29%).^[53] Immediately after the bout, Trout stated that he hadn't underestimated Álvarez but that he trained to fight a completely different fighter.^[54]

Álvarez, The Ring magazine's no. 1 rated light middleweight and unified WBC/WBA "regular" champion, fought against The Ring magazine's no. 1 pound for pound fighter, WBA super welterweight champion and WBC/The Ring magazine welterweight champion, Floyd Mayweather Jr., on September 14, 2013.^[55] Mayweather held a world title at welterweight (147 pounds), but he also still owned a junior middleweight title (154), which he won by outpointing Miguel Cotto in May 2012. And he was moving back up in weight to face Álvarez with their belts on the line, although the fight was contested at a catchweight of 152 pounds. The titles disputed for the bout were Álvarez's WBC, WBA "regular" and The Ring light middleweight titles, and Mayweather's WBA "super" light middleweight title. On fight night, Mayweather reportedly weighed 150 pounds, and Álvarez came in at 165 pounds.^[55][56]

In front of a sold out crowd of 16,746 at the MGM Garden, Mayweather defeated Álvarez via a majority twelve-round decision. In a fight that many thought was going to be Mayweather's toughest, he outclassed the younger Álvarez. Many observers at ringside thought Mayweather won all twelve rounds. Judge C. J. Ross scored the fight 114–114, a draw. Judge Dave Moretti had it 116–112, and Craig Metcalfe scored it 117–111. Judge Ross retired after this fight. Speaking of the controversial scorecard, Mayweather said, "I can't control what the judges do." Compubox stats showed Mayweather's dominance in the fight. He landed 232 of 505 punches (46%) while Álvarez connected on 117 of 526 thrown (22%). Mayweather earned a guaranteed $41.5 million to Álvarez's $5 million.^{[57][58][59][60]}

On January 9, 2014 Golden Boy chief executive Richard Schaefer confirmed a deal had been made for a fight between Álvarez and 31 year old Mexican boxer Alfredo Angulo (22-3, 18 KOs) to take place on March 8, 2014 on Showtime PPV at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.^[61][62] In March, ESPN reported the fight would take place at a catchweight of 155 pounds, due to Álvarez not being able to make the light middleweight limit of 154 pounds. For the PPV fight, Álvarez agreed to pay $100,000 of his minimum $1.25 million purse to Angulo, which would raise his purse $850,000. Also in the negotiations, Álvarez agreed to weigh no more than 168 pounds on fight night. This was Álvarez's first of five fights which took place at the 155 pound catchweight. On fight night, Álvarez weighed 174 pounds on Showtime's scale and Angulo weighed 170 pounds.^[63] In front of 14,610 at the MGM, Álvarez came out strong, throwing combinations. In a fairly lopsided beating, Álvarez scored a 10th-round stoppage over Angulo punctuated by a lead left uppercut. The end of the fight began in round 5, when Angulo's left eye started swelling. When the referee waived the fight off, the crowd was displeased and booed. At the time of stoppage, two judges had it 89–82, and the third judge had it 88–83, all in favour of Álvarez.^[64]

In the post-fight, Angulo stated how he was unhappy with the stoppage, "I told Tony he did the wrong job tonight. The referee tells us to take care of ourselves at all times. I can take care of myself. My plan was to work harder in the final four or three rounds. I had good preparation for this fight." His trainer Virgil Hunter was also unhappy with referee Tony Weeks, "I'm very upset. I told the referee and the doctor that if Canelo put two or three shots together that I would stop the fight. He landed one punch. Everyone knows Alfredo was coming on strong, everyone knows that."^[65]

Álvarez fought Erislandy Lara on July 12, 2014, at the MGM Grand in a non-title match. Lara's WBA light middleweight title was not on the line as the fight took place at a 155-pound catchweight, and both fighters weighed in at precisely 155 pounds. Álvarez rehydrated to 171 pounds while Lara came into the ring at 166 pounds. In a very close and competitive fight that went to a split decision, Álvarez came out on top with the two judges scoring 115–113 in favour of each fighter and the final judge scoring 117–111 in favour of Álvarez.^[66] The final scorecard was controversial as many observers considered it far too wide. According to CompuBox, Lara landed 55 jabs to nine from Álvarez, who landed the jab at a five percent connect rate. Álvarez managed to land 88 power punches while Lara landed 53 power punches. Lara's clean punching, defense, and movement were weighed against Álvarez's effective aggressiveness.^[67] Lara came out in dominant fashion, utilizing a stick-and-move style and capturing the early rounds. Álvarez was later able to hammer away to the body when he had Lara on the ropes but never adjusted to Lara's one-two combinations. Lara's lead hand played a huge role in this combination's effectiveness, but his output dropped in the middle rounds. Álvarez was able to cut Lara with a lead left uppercut in the seventh round.^[68] Although the decision remains controversial, any talk of a rematch in the future was dismissed by Oscar De La Hoya who went on to say, "No one wants a rematch."^[69]

In January 2015, Oscar De La Hoya announced that Álvarez and James Kirkland (32-1, 28 KOs) had agreed to fight each other although no date or venue was set, in a non-title super welterweight bout. The reason why the date was not set was due to the upcoming Floyd Mayweather Jr. vs. Manny Pacquiao fight, not having an official date, however was likely to take place on May 2, 2015.^[70] In March, at the official press conference, the fight was announced to take place at the Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas on May 9, 2015, live on HBO, a week after the May-Pac fight. It marked the first fight of Álvarez's lucrative HBO contract.^[71] In front of 31,588, Álvarez defeated Kirkland via third-round knockout.^[72] Kirkland came out aggressively, but Álvarez wobbled him and scored a knockdown via straight right hand in round one. In the third round, a counter right uppercut sent Kirkland to the canvas. Álvarez ended the fight with a jab to the body quickly followed by the right hand, creating the knockout. Álvarez landed 87 of 150 punches thrown (58%) and Kirkland landed 42 of 197 (21%). After the bout, Kirkland said, "I did not know I was knocked out." He was then taken to hospital to undergo a CT scan. The win for Álvarez set up a mega PPV fight between himself and WBC middleweight champion Miguel Cotto.^[73][74] The fight drew an average of 2.146 million viewers on HBO and peaked at 2.296 million, the highest viewership for HBO in 2015.^[75]

On November 21, 2015, Álvarez won the WBC, lineal and The Ring middleweight titles with a unanimous decision over Miguel Cotto in front of a sold-out crowd of 11,274 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. The fight took place at a catchweight of 155 lbs. Although Cotto gave a tremendous effort, moving nicely throughout the fight, the judges clearly went for Álvarez's brute strength, with surprisingly wide scores of 117–111, 119–109, and 118–110. ESPN.com had the fight much closer, but still scored it in favour of Álvarez, 115–113. According to CompuBox, Álvarez landed 155 of 484 punches (32 percent), and Cotto landed 129 of 629 (21 percent), with Álvarez landing the heavier blows and inflicting more damage.^[76] Two months after the fight, the WBC awarded Álvarez the WBC Diamond middleweight title at their headquarters in Mexico.

According to HBO, the fight generated 900,000 buys on PPV, which equated to around $58 million in domestic revenue. This was the first time since 2002, that a PPV generated 900,000 which didn't include Mayweather, Pacquiao or De La Hoya. That bout was a heavyweight title fight between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson.^[77]

In early 2016, it was announced that British boxer Amir Khan was moving up two weight divisions to middleweight, to fight Álvarez for his lineal, Ring and WBC world middleweight championship titles. The fight took place on 7 May 2016, at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.^[78][79] The bout was on HBO PPV.^[80][81] Khan kept his distance in the first 5 rounds, using his speed to come in and step out which initially caused trouble for Canelo. In round 6, Canelo landed a devastating right hand that knocked out Khan.^[82] The fight generated a live gate of $7,417,350, according to figures released by the Nevada State Athletic Commission. That total came from 13,072 tickets sold, far short of a sellout. The Álvarez-Khan gross places it 34th-best in Nevada history.^[83]

After the fight, Álvarez and his team invited Middleweight champion Gennady "GGG" Golovkin into the ring to promote a future fight with Golovkin. During the post-fight interview with HBO's Max Kellerman, Álvarez stated, "Let's fight now." ^[84] On May 18, 2016 Álvarez vacated the WBC title he defended in fighting Amir Khan. The WBC immediately awarded the title to Gennady Golovkin.^[85]

It was announced on June 24, Álvarez was to drop the extra pound to 154 and challenge 27 year old, WBO champion Liam Smith (23-0-1, 13 KOs) from England on September 17, 2016, in the main event on an HBO PPV card. Golden Boy Promotions announced on July 18, the bout would take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the other venue looking to host the fight was the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.^[86] Canelo, who had fought his last 5 fights at his preferred 155 lbs catchweight, said, "I am very pleased to announce my next fight against Liam Smith, a tremendous fighter with real knockout power, and the WBO junior middleweight world title owner, I have no doubt that this fight will be give and take, which will fill the expectations of the fans, and I will work with all the enthusiasm as I always do to get the upper hand on Sept. 17."^[86]

In front of a record breaking crowd of 51,240, Álvarez regained a world title at light-middleweight following a devastating left hook to the body in round 9. Smith was also knocked down once in round 7 and once in round 8, in a fight where Álvarez was in control from the opening bell. Álvarez landed 157 punches from 422 thrown with a connect rate of 37%, compared to Smith landing 115 from 403 thrown, a connect rate of 29%. The fight drew an estimate of 300,000 PPV buys.^[87][88][89]

Golden Boy president Eric Gomez spoke to The Ring Magazine in December and stated that Álvarez had no immediate plans to vacate the WBO title and may fight in the first quarter of 2017, at 154, defending his world title. He also stated that there was still plans for Álvarez to fight Golovkin later in the year.^[90]

Following Julio César Chávez Jr.'s comeback win against Dominik Britsch in December 2016, he claimed he was back and ready to fight Golovkin at 168 pounds and Álvarez at a 164 catchweight. Negotiations began soon after for a potential HBO PPV fight to take place in 2017 on the Cinco de Mayo weekend, as there was interest from both sides that a fight take place. De La Hoya said a fight with Golovkin would still be likely for September 2017. Golden Boy president Eric Gomez confirmed a catchweight of 165 lbs was agreed between both sides.^[91][92][93] WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman was on board and said it was a "very attractive fight." and would likely get his organisation involved in the fight.^[94][95] Julio César Chávez Sr. spoke on December 18 about the ongoing negotiations saying Golden Boy were offering his son a small amount for the potential big PPV fight. He went on to claim his son was offered a $5m purse with no mention he would get a cut of the PPV revenue, a counter offer was submitted. A rematch clause was also discussed, which Chávez Jr. and his team had no problem with. Chávez Sr. went on to admit that he was fully aware Álvarez is the A-side in the fight, and would settle for no less than 30-35% of the full revenue.^[96][97]

On December 22, the WBO made Álvarez the mandatory challenger to the world middleweight title, skipping the previous number 1, Avtandil Khurtsidze, which was considered controversial, due to Álvarez currently not fighting at middleweight. Khurtsidze, who had ten days to appeal decision, decided not to.^[98][99] On December 24, Álvarez and his team gave Chávez a week to accept the terms, which included a purse of $7m, or he would consider other options.^[100] On January 12, 2017 De La Hoya and Álvarez called for the contract to be signed, which was supposedly sent to Al Haymon, who advises Chávez Jr. and urged him to sign it.^[101] A day later, Chávez Jr. claimed he had agreed all the demands set by Álvarez and was said that he would sign the contract. According to Chávez Jr. the new demands included a weight limit set at 164.5 pounds and a $6 million base purse plus PPV revenue percentages.^[102]

On January 13, Álvarez officially confirmed the fight to take place on May 6, 2017. A rematch clause was also put in place if Chávez Jr. wins the fight and another clause for every pound Chávez Jr. weighs over the limit, he would be fined $1 million.^{[103][104][105]} On February 4, Golden Boy Promotions announced that the fight would take place at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.^[106] On February 22, Álvarez announced that he planned on vacating his WBO light middleweight title following the Chávez Jr. fight and fighting at middleweight.^[107] The fight was announced a sell out on March 3 with 20,000 tickets being sold after they initially went on sale to the public on February 20.^[108] Álvarez spoke to boxing reporters on April 11, in a teleconference, he said that he would fight as a 160-pound middleweight after the Chávez Jr. fight.^[109]

According to the Nevada State Athletic Commission, it was reported that Álvarez would earn $5 million and Chávez would earn $3 million before any shares of PPV. The figures would increase based on PPV sales.^[110][111]

In front of a sold-out crowd of 20,510, Álvarez won the fight by a shutout unanimous decision in dominating fashion. All three judges scored it 120–108 for Álvarez. Chávez was very cautious throughout the fight. At times, he came forward and also had Álvarez against the ropes, but failed to throw any punches. This led to jeers from the crowd in the later rounds due to lack of action. Álvarez spoke to HBO's Max Kellerman in the post fight interview, speaking of his fighting style, "Tonight, I showed I could move, I could box, I showed as a fighter I can do all things. I thought I was going to showcase myself as a fighter that could throw punches, but he just wouldn't do it. I've shown I can do lots of things in the ring, anything a fighter brings, I've shown I can showcase myself." CompuBox Stats showed that Álvarez landed 228 of 604 his punches thrown (38%) and Chávez landed 71 of 302 (24%). By the end of round 5, Álvarez landed 102 punches compared to Chávez's 25 landed.^{[112][113][114]} Early figures revealed that the fight generated at least 1 million buys.^[115] A replay was shown on regular HBO a week later and drew an average of 769,000 viewers.^[116] This was the first boxing match to generate over 1 million PPV buys that didn't include Mayweather, Pacquiao or De La Hoya since 2002, which saw Lennox Lewis retain his heavyweight world titles against Mike Tyson. Later sources confirmed the fight did close to 1.2 million buys, which means it would have generated around $80 million.^[117]

Immediately after the Chávez fight, Álvarez announced that he would next fight Gennady Golovkin on the weekend of September 16, 2017 at a location to be determined. Golovkin, who stated he would not attend the fight, was joined by his trainer Abel Sanchez and promoter Tom Loeffler.^[118] Golovkin joined him in the ring during the announcement to help promote their upcoming bout. Speaking through a translator, Álvarez said, "Golovkin, you are next, my friend. The fight is done. I've never feared anyone, since I was 15 fighting as a professional. When I was born, fear was gone." When Golovkin arrived in the ring, he said, "I feel very excited. Right now is a different story. In September, it will be a different style -- a big drama show. I'm ready. Tonight, first congrats to Canelo and his team. Right now, I think everyone is excited for September. Canelo looked very good tonight, and 100 percent he is the biggest challenge of my career. Good luck to Canelo in September."^[112]

On May 9, Eric Gomez, president of Golden Boy Promotions told the LA Times that Álvarez had an immediate rematch clause in place on his contract, whereas Golovkin, if he loses, won't be guaranteed a rematch.^[119] De La Hoya later also revealed in an interview with ESPN the fight would take place at the full middleweight limit of 160 pounds with no re-hydration clauses, meaning Golovkin and Álvarez would be able to gain unlimited amount of weight following the weigh in.^[120] On June 5, the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas was announced as the venue of the fight, and would mark the first time Golovkin would fight in the state of Nevada. The AT&T Stadium, Madison Square Garden and Dodgers Stadium missed out on hosting the fight.^[121] Eric Gomez of Golden Boy Promotions said in a statement that Álvarez would fight for the IBF meaning he would participate in the second day weight in, which the IBF require that each boxer weighs no more than 10 pounds over the 160 pound limit. Although he said there was no word on whether Álvarez would fight for the WBC title, Álvarez claimed that he would not be.^[122] On July 7, 2017 Golden Boy and K2 Promotions individually announced the tickets had sold out.^[123]

On August 15, Golden Boy matchmaker Robert Diaz revealed that Álvarez would indeed attend the IBF mandatory second day weigh in and fully intended to fight for the IBF title along with the WBA title. He did make it clear that whilst Golovkin would still defend the WBC and IBO title, Álvarez would not pay their sanctioning fees.^[124] On August 22, IBF president Daryl Peoples announced that they would be dropping the mandatory second day weigh in for unification fights, meaning neither fighters are required to participate, however they would still encourage them to do so.^[125] It was reported that Álvarez would earn a base minimum $5 million and Golovkin would earn $3 million, before any shares of the revenue are added to their purses.^[126]

On fight night, in front of a sold out crowd of 22,358, Golovkin and Álvarez fought to a split draw (118–110 Álvarez, 115–113 Golovkin, and 114–114). ESPN's Dan Rafael and HBO's Harold Lederman scored the fight 116–112 in favour of Golovkin. Judge Adalaide Byrd's scorecard of 118–110 in favour of Álvarez was widely ridiculed. Many observers felt that Golovkin had won a narrow, closely contested fight, and while a draw was justifiable, a card that wide in favour of Álvarez was inexcusable.^{[127][128][129]} Nevertheless, Bob Bennett, director of the Nevada Athletic Commission, said that he had full confidence on Byrd going forward.^[130] Despite the controversy, several mainstream media outlets referred to the bout as a "classic".^[131][132] The fight started with both boxers finding their rhythm, Álvarez using his footwork and Golovkin establishing his jab. During the middle rounds, particularly between 4 and 8, Álvarez started each round quick, but seemed to tire out after a minute, with Golovkin taking over and doing enough to win the rounds. The championship rounds were arguably the best rounds and Álvarez started to counter more and both fighters stood toe-to-toe exchanging swings, the majority of which missed. The draw saw Golovkin make his 19th consecutive defence, just one behind middleweight great Bernard Hopkins. CompuBox stats showed that Golovkin was the busier of the two, landing 218 of 703 thrown (31%), while Álvarez was more accurate, landing 169 of his 505 thrown (34%). Golovkin out landed Álvarez in 10 of the 12 rounds.^[133][134] The replay, which took place a week later on HBO averaged 726,000, peaking at 840,000 viewers.^[135]

Speaking to Max Kellerman after the fight, Golovkin said, "It was a big drama show. [The scoring] is not my fault. I put pressure on him every round. Look, I still have all the belts. I am still the champion." Álvarez felt as though he won the fight, "In the first rounds, I came out to see what he had. Then I was building from there. I think I won eight rounds. I felt that I won the fight. "I think I was superior in the ring. I won at least seven or eight rounds. I was able to counterpunch and made Gennady wobble at least three times. If we fight again, it's up to the people. I feel frustrated over my draw."^{[136][137][138]} Golovkin's trainer Abel Sanchez believed judge Byrd had her scorecard filled out before the first bell rang.^[139] Álvarez ruled out another fight in 2017, claiming he would return on Cinco de Mayo weekend in May 2018. At the post-fight press conference, Álvarez said through a translator, “Look, right now I wanna rest. Whatever the fans want, whatever the people want and ask for, we’ll do. You know that’s my style. But right now, who knows if it’s in May or September? But one thing’s for sure – this is my era, the era of Canelo.”^[140] Golovkin's promoter Tom Loeffler stated that they would like an immediate rematch, but Golovkin, who prefers fighting at least three times in a calendar year, reiterated his desire to also fight in December.

The fight surpassed Mayweather-Álvarez to achieve the third highest gate in boxing history. ESPN reported the fight generated $27,059,850 from 17,318 tickets sold. 934 complimentary tickets given out, according to the NSAC. Mayweather vs. Álvarez sold 16,146 tickets to produce a live gate of $20,003,150.^[141]

The replay, which took place a week later on HBO averaged 726,000, peaking at 840,000 viewers.^[135] The LA Times reported the fight generated 1.3 million domestic PPV buys. Although HBO didn't make an official announcement, it is believed that the revenue would exceed $100 million.^[142]

Immediately after the controversial ending, talks began for a rematch between Álvarez and Golovkin. Álvarez stated he would next fight in May 2018, whereas Golovkin was open to fighting in December 2017. ESPN reported that Álvarez, who only had the rematch clause in his contract, must activate it within three weeks of their fight. On September 19, Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez told ESPN that everyone on their side was interested in the rematch and they would hold discussions with Tom Loeffler in the next coming days.^[143] Ringtv reported that the negotiations would begin on September 22.^[144] On September 24, Gomez said the rematch would likely take place in the first week in May 2018, or if a deal could be worked, we could see the fight take place as early as March.^[145] Despite ongoing negotiations for the rematch, at the 55th annual convention in Baku, Azerbaijan on October 2, the WBC officially ordered a rematch. Golden Boy president Eric Gomez told ESPN, "Regardless of if they did or didn't order the rematch, we are going to try to make it happen. We'll do whatever it takes to make it happen."^[146][147] On November 7, Eric Gomez indicated the negotiations were going well and Álvarez would make a decision in regards to the rematch in the coming weeks. It was believed that Golden Boy would wait until after David Lemieux and Billy Joe Saunders fought for the latter's WBO title on December 16, 2017 before making a decision.^[148] On November 15, Eddie Hearn, promoter of Daniel Jacobs stated that he approached Tom Loeffler regarding a possible rematch between Golovkin and Jacobs if the Álvarez-Golovkin rematch fails to take place.^[149] On December 20, Eric Gomez announced that the negotiations were close to being finalized after Álvarez gave Golden Boy the go-ahead to write up the contracts.^[150] On January 29, 2018 HBO finally announced the rematch would take place on May 5 on the Cinco de Mayo weekend.^[151][152] On February 22, the T-Mobile Arena was again selected as the fights venue.^[153] According to WBC, unlike the first bout, Álvarez would fight for their title.^[154]

In March 2018, Álvarez tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol ahead of the fight.^[155] Adding to the controversy, Golovkin's trainer Abel Sanchez claimed that Álvarez had his hands wrapped in an illegal manner for the first fight.^[156] On March 23, the Nevada State Athletic Commission temporarily suspended Álvarez due to his two positive tests for the banned substance clenbuterol. Álvarez was required to appear at a commission hearing, either in person or via telephone, on the issue on April 10. The commission would decide at the hearing whether the fight would be permitted to go ahead as scheduled.^[157] On March 28, MGM Resorts International, who own the T-Mobile Arena, started to offer full refunds to anyone who had already purchased tickets for the bout. They wrote, “In the event a fan requested a refund, they could get one at the original point of sale and in full.” The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported the news.^[158][159] The hearing was rescheduled for April 18 as Bob Bennett filed a complaint against Álvarez.^[160][161] On April 3, Álvarez officially withdrew from the rematch. Golden Boy mentioned during a press conference it was hinted that Álvarez would likely not be cleared at the hearing and they would not have enough time to promote the fight.^[162]

On April 13, an unofficial source stated that Álvarez had checked into a private hospital in Guadalajara for a arthroscopy knee surgery.^[163] A spokesperson for Golden Boy later said it was a cosmetic surgery.^[164] After surgery, Álvarez posted a picture on social media, with a caption reading, "I share that today I had to undergo an arthroscopic surgery to repair the internal femoral cartilage and eliminate a pathological fold of my right knee." Eric Gomez of Golden Boy later confirmed that Álvarez had 'a cyst taken out of his knee' and there was no serious issues with his knee.^[165][166]

At the hearing, Álvarez was given a six-month suspension, backdated to his first drug test fail on February 17, meaning the ban would end on August 17, 2018. VADA stated that Álvarez was not enrolled in their testing program. His promoter De La Hoya then announced that Álvarez would return to the ring on the Mexican Independence Day weekend.^[167][168]

According to Golovkin on April 27, before he defeated Martirosyan, a fight with Álvarez in the fall was still a priority. During a conference call, he stated it was the 'biggest fight in the world' and beneficial for all parties involved. Although Golovkin stated the rematch had a 10% chance of happening, Eric Gomez and Tom Loeffler agreed to meet and start negotiating after May 5.^{[169][170][171]} One of the main issues preventing the rematch to take place was the purse split. Álvarez wanted 65-35 in his favour, the same terms Golovkin agreed to initially, however Golovkin wanted a straight 50-50 split.^[172]

On June 6, Golovkin was stripped of his IBF world title due to not adhering to the IBF rules. The IBF granted Golovkin an exception to fight Martirosyan although they would not sanction the fight, however told Golovkin's team to start negotiating and fight mandatory challenger Sergiy Derevyanchenko by August 3, 2018.^[173] The IBF released a statement in detail.^[174][175] On June 7, Golovkin's team stated they would accept a 55-45 split in favour of Álvarez. The split in the initial rematch negotiations, Golovkin accepted a 65-35 split in favour of Álvarez.^[176] On June 12, Golden Boy gave Golovkin a 24-hour deadline to accept a 57½-42½ split in Álvarez's favour or they would explore other fights. At this time, Golden Boy were already in light negotiations with Eddie Hearn for a fight against Daniel Jacobs instead. At the same time, Loeffler was working closely with Frank Warren to match Saunders with Golovkin for the end of August.^[177] Golovkin declined the offer and De La Hoya stated there would be no rematch. Despite this, some sources indicated both sides were still negotiating after a "Hail Mary" idea came to light.^[178][179] Hours later, De La Hoya confirmed via his Twitter account that terms had been agreed and the fight would indeed take place on September 15 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada.^[180][181] Golovkin revealed to ESPN he agreed to 45%.^[182] Álvarez started training for the bout on June 14 and stated his intention to apply for his boxing license on August 18.^[183] It was confirmed that both boxers would not physically come face to face with each other until the fight week. A split-screen press conference took place on July 3.^[184] On September 3, due to a majority vote of the panel, it was announced vacant The Ring Magazine middleweight title would be contested for the bout. Doug Fischer wrote, "We posed the question to the Ratings Panel, which, in a landslide, voted in favour the magazine’s 160-pound championship being up for grabs when the two stars clash at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas."^[185]

In front of a sell out crowd of 21,965, the fight was again not without controversy as Álvarez defeated Golovkin via majority decision after 12 rounds. Álvarez was favoured by judges Dave Moretti and Steve Weisfeld, both scoring the bout 115–113, the third judge Glenn Fieldman scored it 114–114. The result was disputed by fans, pundits and media. Of the 18 media outlets scoring the bout, 10 ruled in favour of Golovkin, 7 scored a draw, while 1 the scored bout for Álvarez.^[186][187] The scorecards showed how close the bout was, with the judges splitting eight rounds. After 9 rounds, all three judges had their scores reading 87–84 for Álvarez^[188]

The fight was much different to the first bout in terms of action. Álvarez who was described by Golovkin's team as a 'runner', altered his style and became more aggressive. Both boxers found use of their respective jabs from the opening round with Golovkin using his jab more as the fight went on. Big punches were landed by both fighters during the bout, with both Álvarez and Golovkin showing excellent chins. Despite the tense build up, both boxers showed each other respect after the fight. Álvarez made good use of his body attack, landing 46 compared to Golovkin's 6 landed. Compubox Stats showed that Golovkin landed 234 of 879 punches thrown (27%) and Álvarez landed 202 of his 622 punches (33%). In eight of the rounds, Golovkin outlanded Álvarez.^[189]

Álvarez stated that the fight was a "clear victory", and that "in the end, it was a victory for Mexico. And again, it was an opportunity. And I want to shout out to my opponent, the best in the sport of boxing. I am a great fighter, and I showed it tonight. If the people want another round, I'll do it again. But for right now, I will enjoy time with my family." Golovkin did not take part in the post fight and made his way backstage where he received stitches for a cut over his right eye. He later responded to the defeat, explaining that "I'm not going to say who won tonight, because the victory belongs to Canelo, according to the judges. I thought it was a very good fight for the fans and very exciting. I thought I fought better than he did." Both fighters were open to a trilogy.^[190]

The fight generated a live gate of $23,473,500 from 16,732 tickets sold. This was lower than the first bout, but still the fourth largest-grossing gates in Nevada boxing history. The fight sold 1.1 million PPV buys, lower than the first bout; however, due to being priced at $84.95, it generated more revenue at around $94 million.^[191][192]

In October 2018, Álvarez announced that he would fight 31 year old British boxer Rocky Fielding (27-1, 15 KOs) at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York on December 15, 2018 for the WBA 'Regular' super middleweight title.^[193] On October 17, 2018, DAZN announced that it had signed a five-year, $365 million deal with Álvarez, under which his next eleven fights would be broadcast in the United States by the subscription sports streaming service. The deal would begin with Álvarez vs. Fielding, and replace his expired contract with HBO (which had also announced its discontinuation of boxing telecasts).^[194][195]

Álvarez won by TKO after repeatedly downing Fielding with body shots. Following the fourth knockdown suffered by Fielding, referee Ricky Gonzalez stopped the match. ^[196]

Canelo Álvarez defeated Daniel Jacobs via unanimous decision 115–113, 115–113, and 116–112 on May 4, 2019 in a middleweight unification bout at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Álvarez defended his WBA (Super), WBC, The Ring, and lineal middleweight titles whilst obtaining Jacobs' IBF middleweight title.^[197][198]

On September 13, 2019, Álvarez announced via social media that he will move up two weight classes to challenge WBO light heavyweight titleholder Sergey Kovalev on November 2, 2019 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.^[199] This fight will be Canelo's attempt to win a title belt in a fourth division since he has held world titles in the light middleweight, middleweight and super middleweight divisions.

Álvarez was engaged to Marisol González, who is Miss Mexico Universe 2003 and a sports reporter for Televisa Deportes.^[200][201] He has two daughters and one son, all from different relationships.^{[202][203][204]}

Canelo is also a boxing promoter in Mexico. His company, Canelo Promotions, was established in 2010 and his business partners are his trainers, father-and-son team Chepo and Eddy Reynoso. As of 2013, Canelo Promotions represented 40 boxers throughout Mexico.^[205]

Major world titles:

The Ring

Lineal titles:

Regional titles:

Totals (approximate): 8,075,000 buys and $605,000,000 in revenue.