ESPN: Saul Alvarez is prospect of the year
When Hall of Fame matchmaker and promoter Don Chargin speaks, people in boxing listen. So when Chargin, a beloved figure, gushes about the bright future he sees for junior middleweight Saul "Canelo" Alvarez, it's best that you pay attention.
"I like that he's developed that hook to the liver, that famous Mexican punch. And as he goes on he's getting to be more and more of a body puncher. He's a terrific body puncher," said Chargin, who has seen them all during a career in boxing that has spanned some 60 years.
Then come the words to really pay attention to.
"If there's no hiccups along the way and he does things the right way, this kid, believe me, in a year's time, is going to be the biggest thing that ever came out of Mexico," Chargin said.
When Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya, who works closely with Chargin, signed Alvarez in January, he called it "a historical day for Golden Boy."
That is the kind of potential that Mexico's red-headed, freckle-faced Alvarez, just 20, possesses. He also has the desire to be great.
Rafael's prospects of the year
Year Fighter
2010 Saul Alvarez
2009 Daniel Jacobs
2008 Victor Ortiz
2007 Amir Khan
2006 Andre Berto
2005 Joel Julio
2004 Samuel Peter
2003 Jermain Taylor
2002 Miguel Cotto
2001 Francisco Bojado
2000 Julio Diaz
"It's something that's within me," Alvarez said through translator and Golden Boy matchmaker Eric Gomez. "It's natural. I was born with it. I'm someone who is very focused, and when I want something, I focus on that and I get it."
With his exciting style, Alvarez already is a major star in Mexico. De La Hoya recounted a story from early December when he was in Veracruz for Alvarez's most recent fight, a lopsided decision against former junior welterweight titlist Lovemore N'Dou.
"This kid has a rock star following. It's unbelievable," De La Hoya said. "We had the weigh-in, jam-packed outdoors, and for the first time ever I realized I'm retired and that nobody cares about me anymore. When all the little girls were following and I was left behind, I was getting trampled. It was like, 'Wow, this kid is the next guy.'
"I was talking to many fans in Mexico on why they follow him. Why? He's not a world champion yet. They said he's our hope, that's why we follow him. The Mexican boxing fans, they are no dummies. They know talent when they see it. When I heard that, I was like, 'Wow, that's very powerful.' They're hoping for a representative, an icon, a hero. And he's the one."
Alvarez's popularity is beginning to grow in the United States, especially with Mexican-Americans. When he faced former welterweight champ Carlos Baldomir at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on a September undercard, it was the charismatic Alvarez who sold most of the tickets.
Alvarez (35-0-1, 26 KOs) turned pro at 15 with no amateur experience and learned on the job, fighting numerous novice-level opponents while building his record.
After a standout 2010 in which he won five bouts (including four by knockout) while ratcheting up his competition, he's just beginning to come into his own. Among his victories was a ninth-round knockout of Jose Cotto in a fight in which Alvarez rebounded from early adversity; a sensational one-punch, sixth-round knockout of Baldomir; and the win against N'Dou. With power, poise and loads of potential, Alvarez is the 2010 ESPN.com prospect of the year.
"This kid is doing things I would never dream of doing, that Julio Cesar Chavez would have never dreamed of doing ," De La Hoya said. "The moves he is doing now at 20, the feints, the ring generalship, he's not just your typical face-first type of fighter and 'I have power and a good chin.' No. He's a very smart fighter. He thinks.
"I really do see him as a mix of Chavez and me. He has the courage, he has the desire, he's a proud Mexican and he's smart. He's a good-looking kid. He has a following. So it's like a mix of Chavez and I. There's so much room for improvement and the great thing is, he knows it. His team knows there's a lot to be learned. And he's willing to learn. He wants to learn."
Maybe De La Hoya is laying it on a bit thick, but he made his point. Alvarez, who counts Chavez and De La Hoya among his boxing heroes, has all the potential in the world to become a major force.
But Alvarez, who dropped out of school in the Mexican equivalent of about eighth grade to box, is humble and doesn't seem overwhelmed by the expectations.
"It motivates me not only to be like them, but to surpass them and make my own name," Alvarez said. "I'm in a learning stage right now. I still feel that I have a lot more to learn. I'm a few steps away from the bigger fights. I'm very happy with the progress. Each time, I'm taking a step toward where I want to be."
Said De La Hoya: "It doesn't surprise me the composure he has and the way he handles himself. He's a very mature 20-year-old. I never experienced anything like it. At 20, he can handle everything. That's why we feel he's a special fighter. It's a matter of getting him the right fights and getting him the experience to one day throw him in with the lions. That's what he wants."
Trained by Edison Reynoso and co-trained and managed by Edison's father, Jose "Chepo" Reynoso, Alvarez hopes to fight four times in 2011 -- three times in the U.S. -- including for a world title. He has been fighting between welterweight and junior middleweight, but hopes to first win a 147-pound belt before settling at junior middleweight. Golden Boy is working on his next fight for March 5 in Anaheim, Calif., possibly against Matthew Hatton or welterweight titlist Vyacheslav Senchenko.
"He wants to move to Los Angeles and learn English and get his career going in the States," De La Hoya said. "He wants to become a superstar. The way he has captured the Mexican hearts in his country, he wants to be something special here in the States. He has skills and he will continue to work on his skills. He's progressing and learning, so he's motivated. There's really no rush with him."
Sometimes young star athletes can let the fame and money go to their head. De La Hoya believes Alvarez will avoid those issues -- what Chargin called "hiccups."
"My advice would be: Don't do what I did. Don't chase the women, don't go out partying," he said. "That's my advice. It shaved four years out of my career, at least four years. Imagine if I didn't drink or go out partying? He's a very disciplined fighter. He knows what he wants. He knows he has the talent. And he knows he can go very far."
Alvarez said there will be no distractions on his way to the top.
"I'm working because I want to be the best," he said. "I feel that I was born for this. Even before I started boxing, I used to get into fights and I did very well. So I feel I was born for this."
The rest of the Super 25 (in alphabetical order with age, division, promoter and record):
Demetrius Andrade (22, junior middleweight, Banner Promotions/Star Boxing, 11-0, 8 KOs): Andrade, a southpaw from Providence, R.I., was a decorated amateur and has pound-for-pound list potential. He was a 2008 U.S. Olympian, won a world amateur championship, two U.S. national titles and two National Golden Gloves titles. He has fantastic speed, ring smarts and, at 6-foot-1, excellent size for his division. He's a dynamic prospect who just needs experience, although he wasn't as busy as he should have been in 2010, fighting just three times. Banner Promotions' Artie Pelullo said Andrade will fight six times in 2011, a busy slate that begins Jan. 7 on ESPN2.
Jose Benavidez Jr. (18, junior welterweight, Top Rank, 9-0, 9 KOs): Many view Benavidez, who grew up in Phoenix and began boxing at age 6, as a sure-fire champion. Considered a prodigy, he was given a special waiver by Nevada authorities to turn pro at 17, a few months before his 18th birthday (the usual requirement). Rather than gun for the 2012 Olympics, Benavidez turned pro in January after going 120-5 as a star amateur and winning a 2009 National Golden Gloves title at 16, the youngest ever to do so. He has huge upside, great size for a junior welterweight (5-foot-11), speed, power and a smooth, seemingly effortless style. He also easily switches between right-handed and southpaw stances. He was trained by Freddie Roach (still a co-manager), but difficulties between Roach and Benavidez's father, Jose Sr., led to their breakup.
Continued....
![Rico Verhoeven [right] clouts Oleksandr Usyk in Egypt on May 23, 2026](https://photo.boxingscene.com/uploads/Oleksandr-Usyk-Rico-Verhoeven-20.webp)
