How did Saul Alvarez become Canelo Alvarez? 

Canelo Alvarez is one of the biggest names in boxing. He is one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and is currently the Undisputed Super Middleweight Champion of the world.

But Canelo Alvarez actually isn’t his real name. It was a moniker given to him by his long-time trainer Eddie Reynoso when he was just 12 years old. Alvarez’s full name is Santos Saul Alvarez Barragan.

The word "Canelo" is a shortened term for the Spanish word "canelito", which means "little cinnamon". It is a reference to the boxer’s red hair and freckles.

In a report by The Sun, Reynoso realized that Alvarez looked different than the rugged image of legendary Mexican fighters like Julio Cesar Chavez, Ruben Olivares, Carlos Zarate Serna etc.

But inside the ring, Canelo Alvarez was fierce, skillful, and intense. Since turning professional at the young age of 15, he has won multiple world titles in four weight classes: from light middleweight to light heavyweight. Canelo unified the titles in three of those four weight classes. Currently, his record stands at 59-2-2 featuring 39 knockouts.

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Canelo Alvarez is gearing up for a fight against Jermell Charlo

Following his win over Gennady Golovkin and John Ryder, there were talks about Canelo Alvarez potentially fighting Dmitry Bivol in a rematch. He was briefly rumored to fight middleweight champion Jermall Charlo as well.

However, it was later announced that the unified super middleweight champion will step inside the ring to take on unified junior middleweight champion Jermell Charlo in a historic clash of champions. Scheduled to take place on September 30, 2023, Alvarez vs. Charlo is the first champion vs. champion fight in the four-belt era of boxing.

Canelo is a massive favorite heading into the fight and most people expect the Mexican to dispatch Charlo in the middle rounds. At 33 years of age, the Mexican says that he has a few years of competition left in him. While speaking to TMZ in an interview before his fight against Bivol in 2022, Canelo had said:

“I hope a long time because I am gonna miss boxing when I am retiring. But right now I think six years more, seven, five, I don’t know.”

Watch the interview below:

Alvarez has a handful of appearances left to entertain the boxing fans at this stage of his career. But he has a lasting legacy in the sport and might go down as one of the greatest ever to do it in the sport of boxing when he decides to hang up the gloves.