Saul Canelo Alvarez reveals how many fights he's likely to have before retiring from boxing
Canelo Alvarez has opened up about his boxing future ahead of his imminent return against Christian Mbilli.
Boxing megastar Canelo Alvarez has opened up about how many fights he's looking to partake in before he hangs up the gloves.
As of this time, the Guadalajara-born combatant boasts a pro boxing record of 63 victories, three defeats, and two draws. Alvarez has 39 of his wins by way of KO/TKO and is regarded as one of the greatest boxers ever.
Ahead of his long-awaited return to the squared circle, the Mexican pugilist has alluded that he's accrued a significant amount of wealth in his career.
Alvarez signaled that it's to the point where he doesn't need to continue his professional boxing career for money -- but he keeps fighting simply because of his love for the sweet science.
Saul Canelo Alvarez reveals how many fights he's aiming to compete in before his retirement from boxing
Canelo Alvarez's most recent professional boxing match witnessed him suffer a unanimous decision defeat against fellow boxing great Terence Crawford in September of last year.
"Bud" thereby dethroned him to become the new undisputed super middleweight champion -- earning the WBA (Super), WBC, WBO, and IBF belts at 168 pounds. Alvarez also lost his Ring Magazine 168-pound title.
The defeat sparked considerable criticism for Alvarez, as his American counterpart, who's also a multi-division champion, had largely competed in lower weight classes in comparison to him. As such, Crawford beating him with relative ease irked some of his supporters, whilst also fueling his detractors' jibes at him.
Despite calls for a rematch, which was hailed as a presumably lucrative proposition, Crawford retired from boxing in December. Incidentally, Christian Mbilli retained the WBC interim super middleweight title by fighting Lester Martinez to a split draw on the card headlined by Alvarez and Crawford.
Well, Mbilli was promoted to full champion status by the WBC soon after Crawford retired. Alvarez was eventually booked to fight Mbilli for the WBC super middleweight belt, with their matchup set to transpire on September 12. Nevertheless, it was postponed, and they'll now clash in October.
Speaking to Ariel Helwani on The Ariel Helwani Show a few hours ago, former undisputed super middleweight champion Saul Canelo Alvarez addressed various topics.
He notably explained that familial obligations caused him to postpone his training camp, and resultantly his fight against Mbilli. That said, he affirmed that he's all set to fight "Solide" this Halloween.
Helwani chimed in and indicated that Terence Crawford is missing out on mammoth paydays against Alvarez and elsewhere as well due to what some feel was a premature retirement.
Alvarez gave his assessment and segued into how his own boxing career is likely coming to a close after three or four fights.
He stated, "I don't know. I don't know what he (Terence Crawford) is thinking about. But sometimes, it's not about money. I get a lot of paydays, like you say. But I still love boxing."
Underlining that he has goals outside the confines of boxing, including his business objectives, Alvarez said:
"I don't do it because I get a lot of big paydays. Because I believe I still enjoy boxing. I love boxing. But there is nothing out there for me to prove. Because I did everything. I accomplished pretty much everything in boxing. I still enjoying. But it's maybe three, four more fights for me. Because I have other goals... My business."
Canelo Alvarez looks to reclaim WBC super middleweight title against Christian Mbilli at a new date
Currently, WBC super middleweight champion Christian Mbilli is booked to defend his title against Canelo Alvarez. They'll headline a boxing fight card in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on October 31.
Later on during his conversation with Ariel Helwani, Alvarez reiterated that his love for boxing is what keeps him an active competitor.
Alvarez noted, "I don't need anything... I'm good. I'm talking about money... But I still love boxing." He implied that his ability to break records with every fight is also what motivates him to continue competing as a professional boxer.
The 36-year-old added, "Right now my motivation is boxing. I don't know, maybe four fights more. But I'm on it."
Watch Canelo Alvarez discuss his plans for himself below (*comments at the 13:48 and 42:10-minute marks of the video):
