Canelo Alvarez’s Biggest Victories

On March 25th, Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez will face the next challenger to his undisputed super-middleweight throne in the form of David Benavidez. The Mexican Monster fought one of his compatriot’s former foes, Caleb Plant, for the WBC interim super middleweight title at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Despite Plant taking an early lead on the scorecards, Benavidez took charge throughout the second half of the fight and secured a deserved unanimous decision victory and potentially a shot at Canelo. First, however, the Mexican box office sensation must come through his upcoming test against Britain’s John Ryder. That’s a fight that OddsChecker, which compares boxing odds and free bets, makes Canelo the overwhelming favorite to win.

With a record of 58-2-2, Canelo Álvarez has become one of the most dominant boxers of his generation. Throughout his career, he has defeated some of the sport’s biggest names and has become a four-division world champion. One problem for Benavidez however, is that Álvarez currently has plenty of unfinished business with Dmitry Bivol. The talented Russian light heavyweight king handed Canelo just the second loss of his career in May of last year, and he may want to rematch him, provided he gets the victory against Ryder.

Let’s take a look at Canelo’s three biggest victories thus far.

2018 Victory over Gennadiy Golovkin

After a controversial draw almost exactly one year prior, Canelo came back stronger than ever for his rematch against Gennadiy ‘GGG’ Golovkin in September 2018. In the second fight, the now-32-year-old proved that he was the better boxer, using his speed and agility to outmaneuver his Kazakh opponent throughout the 12 rounds. In the end, it was Canelo that won the fight by a majority decision, with two judges scoring the bout in his favor, and one scoring it as a draw. The verdict was still a controversial one, with many feeling that GGG did enough to get the win. But with the victory, he not only gained the WBA and WBC middleweight titles but also cemented his place as one of the best fighters in the world.

2019 Victory over Sergey Kovalev

In 2019, Canelo moved up in weight to challenge Russian behemoth Sergey Kovalev for the WBO light-heavyweight title. It was a risky move, as the reigning champion was known for his powerful punches and had been a dominant force in the division for a number of years following his stunning knockout victory against Nathan Cleverly. However, the challenger’s powerful approach proved to be successful. He took his time, picking apart the Russian titleholder with well-placed body shots and avoiding the Russian’s big punches. By the second round, the Russian had already had enough, and Canelo poured it on, knocking the champion out and taking the title. The victory made him a four-division world champion and further solidified his legacy in the sport.

2021 Victory over Billy-Joe Saunders

Throughout 2021, Canelo embarked on his mission to become the undisputed champion in the super-middleweight division. The first opponent he would battle would be Britain’s Billy-Joe Saunders, the WBO champion. The brash Brit was a dangerous opponent, with an unorthodox fighting style and a perfect record heading into the fight. However, Canelo once again proved to be too much for his opponent. He dominated the early rounds before landing a devastating uppercut in the eighth round, causing Saunders to retire from the fight due to a broken eye socket. The victory gave Canelo the WBC, WBA, and WBO super-middleweight titles, leaving him just one title away from his goal of becoming Undisputed. The goal would be reached just six months later with victory over the aforementioned Plant.

Conclusion

Canelo Alvarez has had an impressive career, and his victories over Golovkin, Kovalev, and Saunders stand as the biggest accomplishments of his career thus far. His masterful performances in these fights have solidified his reputation as one of the best boxers of his generation. With a record of 56-2-2, it’s clear that Canelo isn’t done yet, however, David Benavidez would represent a massive test, and one that he must pass should he wish to go down in history as one of the greatest fighters of all time.

First up, however, he has the small matter of a homecoming. Canelo will fight in Mexico for the first time in 12 years when he faces off with Ryder inside Guadalajara’s 48,000-capacity Estadio Akron. The home favorite will be looking to impress, and then it will be interesting to see which direction he takes after that. A legacy fulfiller against Benavidez, or redemption against Bivol?