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by David P. Greisman - Canelo Alvarez was a star long before he even had a chance to prove his place among the best in the sport.
He was a precocious prospect who turned pro at 15 years old and had won 33 fights before his teenage years ended. He had a charismatic personality and a fan-friendly approach, plus he was a good-looking, red-haired fighter from Mexico. Fans flocked to him. He brought huge numbers on television in his home country and drew some of the better ratings for boxing on HBO and Showtime in the United States.
He was 19 when he was featured in the chief supporting bout on a Floyd Mayweather pay-per-view in 2010, was headlining on HBO the next year, and had grown so big that he was once the main event in Los Angeles on the same night and the same broadcast as a Mayweather pay-per-view otherwise airing from Las Vegas, all so that Alvarez could be paid well while bringing more sales for Mayweather’s show. He also drew nearly 40,000 people to his fight against Austin Trout in early 2013.
All of that, plus the pair of world titles he had already won, brought him into a fight later in 2013 with the best boxer of this era, Mayweather, before Alvarez had even truly proven himself against the best in his division. It was as much a business transaction as a boxing match, the pairing of the most popular active fighters in their respective countries.
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He was a precocious prospect who turned pro at 15 years old and had won 33 fights before his teenage years ended. He had a charismatic personality and a fan-friendly approach, plus he was a good-looking, red-haired fighter from Mexico. Fans flocked to him. He brought huge numbers on television in his home country and drew some of the better ratings for boxing on HBO and Showtime in the United States.
He was 19 when he was featured in the chief supporting bout on a Floyd Mayweather pay-per-view in 2010, was headlining on HBO the next year, and had grown so big that he was once the main event in Los Angeles on the same night and the same broadcast as a Mayweather pay-per-view otherwise airing from Las Vegas, all so that Alvarez could be paid well while bringing more sales for Mayweather’s show. He also drew nearly 40,000 people to his fight against Austin Trout in early 2013.
All of that, plus the pair of world titles he had already won, brought him into a fight later in 2013 with the best boxer of this era, Mayweather, before Alvarez had even truly proven himself against the best in his division. It was as much a business transaction as a boxing match, the pairing of the most popular active fighters in their respective countries.
[Click Here To Read More]
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