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Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez was so thrilled with the past year that he claims to not have a care in the world for what lies ahead—as long as it leads to more history being made.
“For me it was an unbelievable year, maybe the best year of my life,” Alvarez confessed to Fox Sports’ Ray Flores while ringside for a Fox Sports Pay-Per-View event in Hollywood, Florida. “I got married to my wife. Then, everything I accomplished in boxing. It was amazing.”
Alvarez (57-1-2, 39KOs) would become a husband before an undisputed super middleweight champion and two-time Fighter of the Year, though a major step towards the latter two items came just prior to his wedding day. The Mexican icon entered 2021 as the unified WBA/WBA “Super” champion at 168 pounds, adding the WBO belt with an eighth-round stoppage of unbeaten titlist Billy Joe Saunders on May 8. A record-breaking indoor crowd turned out for the occasion at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, coming just one week prior to Alvarez marrying long-term partner Fernanda Gomez on May 15.
Both events came less than three months after Alvarez’s first win of 2021, a third-round stoppage of WBC mandatory challenger Avni Yildirim last February 27 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The year would end with another history-making moment in his career, becoming the first Mexican—and Latino—to claim undisputed championship status in the three- or four-belt era. Alvarez did so following an eleventh-round stoppage of Caleb Plant to add the IBF belt to his collection on November 6 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The win marked his triumphant return to Pay-Per-View as well, with the returns and the live gate solidifying his place as the sport’s leading attraction.
For an encore, Alvarez has been asked by trainer and manager Eddy Reynoso to next challenge WBC cruiserweight titlist Ilunga ‘Junior’ Makabu—a move that would see Alvarez jump two weight divisions in hopes of adding a fifth divisional title to his collection. Whether that move is made will be a team decision, with Alvarez largely prepared to carry out whatever marching orders are handed to him by the 2019 and 2021 Trainer of the Year.
“I don’t care,” Alvarez stated when asked who he would next like to face. “I don’t care, really. Whatever Eddy wants, I’m ready for everything. I don’t care. I really don’t think about it. I just want to fight the best and make history. I don’t care who is there. I’ll fight everyone.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox