Could it be that Mexican superstar, and for many the face of boxing, Canelo Alvarez calls is a career after four more fights? Canelo as we know will face William Scull on May 4, this fight the first of his four-fight deal with Turki Alalshikh. And Canelo – who will then fight Terence Crawford in September, all being well of course – spoke with TMZ Sports regarding the possibility of him soon walking away.
The other two fights of the deal are yet to be announced, and who knows, maybe Scull could pull off the upset, or perhaps Crawford could do so? But Canelo says he has “already accomplished everything” in the sport and that he is eyeing the exit door.
“I fought everybody; I fought the best. I won a lot of titles in different weight classes,” Canelo said. “I have been the pound-for-pound king, fighter of the year – everything. If we are talking about money, it’s never enough. But it’s not just about money. It’s about enjoying everything. I am still enjoying boxing. That’s why I am here. I’m going to do my thing and then, [at age] 37, 38, is the moment to go [and retire].”
Canelo turns 35 in July, so by the time he has completed his four-fight deal, he will likely be 37, maybe a little younger, maybe a little older. And that could be it, with Canelo walking away at 66-2-2, assuming he wins all four upcoming bouts. And if this does prove to be the case, we will miss Canelo when he’s gone, as we do with all the great ones.
Who the third and fourth fights in the Saudi deal will be against will, of course, prove to be interesting, but could it be that Canelo never loses again and that he does indeed walk away after the four fights are done? If so, only Floyd Mayweather and Dmitry Bivol will go into the history books as having beaten Canelo.
And as to where Canelo will deserve to be placed among the all-time greats, well, that will no doubt prove to be a topic of much discussion when the time comes. When Canelo has thrown his last punch, some experts have already gone on record as saying Canelo just might deserve to be ranked as the greatest Mexican fighter ever. That, of course, is a huge honor, and not one everyone agrees with