Canelo Alvarez and I spoke at his gym in San Diego about what it took for a kid who sold popsicles in Guadalajara to become the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer on Earth ahead of his fight vs. Bivol on May 7th.
Alvarez is one of the highest-paid athletes in the world too. He told me he fought for $20-$45 a night when he was a teenager.
That's .0001% of what he'll make per bout in his latest 2-fight deal with Matchroom; that's worth an estimated $90M, according to ESPN.
Canelo is an entrepreneur and investor with interests in real estate, energy, and more.
But his brand's tagline, "No Boxing, No Life," isn't just a slogan; it's tattooed on his left bicep. He lives by that phrase.
Canelo's responses have been condensed and edited for readability.
When Did Canelo Alvarez Start Boxing?
"I knew boxing when I was 11," Alvarez said. "I trained one week, and I [went] to an amateur fight. And then my brother Rigoberto [went] to Tijuana, and I said, 'I want to go with you too. I want to be a boxer.' And two years after, I started."
Alvarez told me that Canelo has trained with Eddy Reynoso since he was 13 years old. "He's a great trainer. He will always learn something new and come to the gym and show us. In [my] personal life too, he's helped me a lot."
Alvarez made his pro debut at age 15 when he fought Abraham Gonzalez. He stopped Gonzalez in four rounds. I asked Alvarez what it took for him to go from a 15-year-old with a dream to become the No. 1 pound-for-pound boxer in the world.
Boxing Advice From Canelo
"You need to love what you do; then you need to have discipline. But you also need talent for what you're going to do. So discipline, talent, and love," Alvarez said.
I asked Alvarez what that means, and he explained that "it's your personal life too. It's everything. How you eat, sleep, work, everything." Then, he referenced his childhood.
"I didn't do things like other young people. I didn't [party]. I left all of that to work to try and be someone. And it's hard to be disciplined. But if you want to be something in your life, you have to be disciplined."
I asked Alvarez what he says to himself during those moments when he's tired or maybe doesn't want to train. "So it's about showing up?" I asked.
"No, not just showing up. You need to work. Maybe light work, but work. Try to learn something new every day. You can show up and do nothing, not pay attention, not learn, and that's nothing."
Canelo Alvarez On His Boxing Legacy And Bivol Fight
Canelo has won multiple world championships and is the first boxer in history to become the undisputed champion of the super middleweight division, following his November 2021 victory over Caleb Plant for the IBF title.
Despite all the success, he isn't slowing down. Alvarez is competitive and relishes challenges. They make him feel alive.
"Unifying [the] 168 pound [division], all the champions I beat, all the championships I have, I want to keep doing that. Now I'm going to fight for the championship at 175 [pounds]; these are the things that will make my legacy big," Alvarez said.
And his next challenge is his biggest one to date. He'll be fighting Dmitry Bicol, the world's second-best active light-heavyweight, on May 7th for his title. Bivol has retained the WBA title since 2017, and the two will face off for it on May 7th.
You can watch my full Canelo Alvarez interview below:
