Canelo Alvarez issues apology to Lionel Messi after World Cup rant

Canelo Alvarez has buried the hatchet with Lionel Messi.

The Mexican superstar has engaged in a one-sided feud with the soccer star over the last few days. Over the weekend, Mexico played Argentina in the World Cup. It was a must-win for Messi and the squad, and they played like it.

They wound up winning 2-0 in a massive victory, and the team celebrated as such. A viral video later emerged from the Argentine locker room, with the team going wild. Messi, too, was celebrating and was seen standing next to a Mexican jersey on the ground.

The jersey being on the ground didn't sit well with many Mexican fans, including Alvarez. After the release of the video, the boxer went on a rant directed towards Messi. He initially accused the soccer star of wiping the ground with the jersey, and later clarified that the shirt being on the ground was disrespectful in itself.

Now, Canelo Alvarez has decided to issue an apology to Lionel Messi. In a series of tweets, the super-middleweight champion stated that he got carried away due to his passion for his country. Alvarez apologized to both Messi and the Argentine team.

See Alvarez's tweets apologizing to Messi below:

"These last few days I got carried away by the passion and love I feel for my country and made comments that were out of place for which I want to apologize to Messi and the people of Argentina. Every day we learn something new and this time it was my turn."

"I wish both teams much success in their matches today and here we will continue supporting Mexico until the end"

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When will Canelo Alvarez box next?

Canelo Alvarez is expected to return to the ring as early as next May.

The Mexican superstar has been out of the ring since the decision win over Gennadiy Golovkin in September. With that, Alvarez earned his second win over 'GGG', and ended the rivalry on a high note.

The victory was an impressive one, but it didn't come without a cost. Following the win, Alvarez announced he would need time off for hand surgery as he reportedly had the injury for quite some time.

The expectation was that the champion could miss upwards of a year. However, earlier this month, Eddie Hearn revealed that rehab was going well and that Alvarez could return as early as May. However, the promoter noted that he hadn't talked to the boxer about his return plans.

Now, Canelo Alvarez has confirmed that is indeed the case, and he will be back much sooner than expected. In an interview with Bet 365, the champion stated:

"My scars have already closed. I’m doing therapy very well, so I don’t think it’s going to stop me that much… My fights are always in May or September. I think I’ll be ready for May again."