Canelo Alvarez is a Mexican professional boxer and one of the biggest pay-per-view stars in the sport. Nicknamed “Canelo” — Spanish for cinnamon, for his red hair — he has won world championships in four weight classes, from light middleweight to light heavyweight. In 2021, he became the first boxer in history to become the undisputed super middleweight champion, and his record stands at 63 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws.
Quick Facts
| Full Name | Santos Saúl Álvarez Barragán |
| Age | 36 years old |
| Date of Birth | July 18, 1990 |
| Birthplace | Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (173 cm) |
| Nationality | Mexican |
| Occupation | Professional Boxer |
| Partner | Fernanda Gómez (wife, married 2021) |
| Children | Four |
| Net Worth | Approx. $275 million |
Who Is Canelo Alvarez?
Canelo Alvarez is a Mexican boxer widely regarded as one of the best pound-for-pound fighters of his generation. He turned professional at 15 and became a world champion at 20, and over two decades he has headlined some of the richest fights in boxing history. Known for his counterpunching, body shots, head movement and iron chin, Alvarez has won world titles in four weight divisions and held unified titles in three of them.
Alvarez is also one of the sport’s great commercial forces. In 2018, he signed a $365 million, 11-fight deal with the streaming service DAZN — at the time, the richest contract in sports history. His fights with Gennady Golovkin, Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Terence Crawford were among the biggest events in modern boxing. With only three career losses on his record, he remains the face of Mexican boxing.
Early Life & Background
Santos Saúl Álvarez Barragán was born on July 18, 1990, in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and raised in the town of Juanacatlán. The youngest of eight children, he took up boxing at 13 — after being bullied at school for his red hair and freckles — and was trained by José “Chepo” Reynoso and his son Eddy, who remain his trainers today. His nickname, “Canelo,” is Spanish for cinnamon, a reference to his red hair, which is rare in Mexico.
Alvarez turned professional in October 2005, at just 15 years old, fighting on small shows in Mexico. He built a record of 21 fights without defeat before his first draw, and by 2011, at age 20, he had won the WBC light-middleweight title, stopping Matthew Hatton for the vacant belt.
Career
Alvarez became a global star in September 2013, when he faced the undefeated Floyd Mayweather in Las Vegas. He lost by majority decision — his first defeat — in a fight that sold 2.2 million pay-per-views. He rebuilt with wins over Erislandy Lara and Miguel Cotto, whom he beat in 2015 to become the lineal middleweight champion, and Amir Khan in 2016.
From 2017 to 2022, Alvarez fought the defining rivalry of his career against Kazakhstan’s Gennady Golovkin. Their first fight, in September 2017, ended in a controversial draw; Alvarez won the rematch a year later by majority decision, and won the trilogy fight in September 2022. In the meantime, he knocked out Sergey Kovalev in 2019 to win the WBO light-heavyweight title, then returned to super middleweight, where he beat Billy Joe Saunders in 2021 and Caleb Plant later that year — becoming the first boxer in history to hold the undisputed super middleweight championship.
Alvarez’s third career loss came in May 2022, when Dmitry Bivol outpointed him at light heavyweight. He continued to headline major events, beating Jermell Charlo in 2023, before losing the undisputed super middleweight crown to Terence Crawford in September 2025. His professional record stands at 63 wins (39 by knockout), 3 losses and 2 draws.
Facts About Canelo Alvarez
- Alvarez was the first boxer in history to become the undisputed super middleweight champion, in 2021.
- He has won world championships in four weight classes, from light middleweight to light heavyweight.
- His 2018 deal with DAZN, worth a reported $365 million for 11 fights, was the richest contract in sports history at the time.
- Alvarez turned professional at 15 years old and won his first world title at 20.
- His nickname “Canelo” is Spanish for cinnamon, a reference to his red hair.