Canelo Alvarez is 52-1-2 with 35 knockouts and is the owner of a record-breaking $365 million deal with DAZN. He has also won world titles in three divisions and is the current WBA (Super), WBC, IBF, The Ring and lineal middleweight champion. Oh, and his resume includes Miguel Cotto, Shane Mosley, Erislandy Lara, Austin Trout, Amir Khan and a pair of fights against Gennadiy Golovkin.
His only loss? The unbeaten and arguably the greatest of all-time: Floyd Mayweather. And that loss happened at such an early age that it can absolutely be considered the learning lesson that he needed to catapult himself into the fighter he is today.
All of this and he is just now hitting his physical prime as a 28-year-old.
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In front of 20,203 fans at T-Mobile Arena on Cinco De Mayo weekend, Alvarez turned back the challenge of Daniel Jacobs in a nip and tuck battle to get one step closer to becoming the undisputed middleweight champion.
Alvarez has accomplished more before the age of 30 than most will achieve in their entire career. When you think about it, the career trajectory of Alvarez parallels the tenure of the Los Angeles Angels’ spectacular 27-year-old outfielder Mike Trout.
The 25th player selected in the 2009 MLB Draft, Trout tore through the minor leagues and was the youngest player to be named the 2010 J.G. Taylor Spink Award as the Topps Minor League Player of the Year at the age of 19 and two months. As baseball’s top prospect in 2011, Trout saw major league action on July 8, 2011. But he took his lumps early and limped out to a .220 average in 40 games.
The minor setback set the stage for a major comeback.
He truly arrived in 2012 with his AL Rookie of the Year campaign with a monster line of .326 with 30 home runs, 49 stolen bases, 83 RBIs and 129 runs scored in 139 games. He hasn’t looked back since. Two MVP trophies and seven All-Star appearances later have set up Trout as arguably the best player in the game. He can quite literally do everything on the field.
Oh, and that 12-year $426 million contract he signed this year is the richest contract in the history of North American sports, eclipsing none other than Alvarez.
Only a year separates the two athletes, who have both excelled in their respective sports with the remarkable ability to adjust and learn at an advanced rate. They both matured rather quickly and took the sports world by storm before entering their physical primes.
If both were to retire today, they would surely be Hall of Famers with their respective resumes and tremendous accolades.
There is a difference, however. Obviously, they are in different sports where one is team based and the other is a one-on-one battle where the object of the game is to bludgeon your opponent until they lose consciousness. But in terms of accomplishments, Trout still has a holy grail that he’s after while Alvarez may not have much left to chase after.
Trout is still in pursuit of a World Series title to win before it’s all said and done that will assuredly bolster his standing as one of, if not the, greatest baseball player of all-time. As for Alvarez, the real question isn’t what’s next. Rather, what’s left?
Over the past ten years, Alvarez has faced both the biggest names and most challenging opponents in boxing. For every Cotto and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. there was a Lara and an Austin Trout. Few, if any, are willing to test themselves against the best, regardless of whether they are household names or not. And that mentality has only ramped up over the past couple of years as Alvarez has faced Golovkin twice and Daniel Jacobs with the middling Rocky Fielding in between.
He didn’t necessarily have to do this, especially with his massive deal and the fact that he’s already the biggest star in boxing. But he opted to accept the challenge of Daniel Jacobs in his second fight under the DAZN banner and add his IBF title to his collection against a dangerous opponent.
We have a pretty good idea of what is in Alvarez’s immediate future, but then things get hazy in terms of blockbuster matchups and accomplishments.
It’s clear that a third fight with Golovkin and a unification bout with Demetrius Andrade are on the horizon should both potential opponents handle their business ahead of an Alvarez fight. The former is yet another blockbuster showdown that will surely do big numbers while the latter is for self-satisfaction as Alvarez looks to be the undisputed unified champion at 160 pounds.
What’s after that? Who knows?
Should both the Golovkin and Andrade fights happen before the end of 2020, Alvarez still won’t be in his third decade of life. And options that will either motivate him or be appealing to fight fans are limited. He could venture up to 168 pounds and chase down the world titles currently held by Callum Smith (WBA), Giberto Ramirez (WBO), David Benavidez (WBC) and Caleb Plant (IBF). And a closer look at those opponents will show some promotional hurdles that could prove to be problematic when it comes to the negotiating table.
The middleweight division will essentially be cleared out and outside of Errol Spence plowing through 147 and 154 before making a jump to 160, there isn’t a matchup that would be considered a 50-50 fight with mainstream appeal.
Strangely enough, we’re in a place where Alvarez has possibly maxed out too soon. He’s made it clear that he’s fighting for legacy at this point, but are these challenges particularly appealing for a fighter who has already seen the biggest stages and possible the toughest challenges? When Mayweather became “Money” Mayweather against Oscar De La Hoya, he was 31. Not only was Mayweather the A-side, but there were plenty of intriguing options and a blockbuster rivalry waiting to happen with Manny Pacquiao.
Alvarez doesn’t have that.
He’s already had his epic rivalry with Golovkin and quite possibly the biggest fight of his career against Mayweather. He’s going to make his money but could there be concern that Alvarez might lose interest if there isn’t an opponent that he finds challenging?
Fortunately, Alvarez appears to have the mindset that glory supersedes money. He's never been interested in selling a fight, as evidenced by his interviews where he avoids salaciousness like he dodged Jacobs' combinations.
"I love what I'm doing," Alvarez said earlier in the week ahead of his fight against Jacobs. "I'm not lost in the spotlight when something big happens. I have motivations and goals. I'm writing history and that's what I'll continue to do. I truly love boxing."
If it's a love that never dies and Alvarez continues to improve and maintain his dominance, maybe he, and Mike Trout, will etch their names in the history books as two of the greatest athletes of all-time.
