Watch: Canelo Alvarez tells Mike Tyson how Floyd Mayweather defeat shaped his career
Boxing great Canelo Alvarez told Mike Tyson and former UFC double champion Henry Cejudo that his loss to Floyd Mayweather served to teach him a lesson.
The defeat to 'Money' was the only loss in the almost-impeccable boxing record of Canelo Alvarez. Apart from that setback, the Mexican pugilist has 55 wins, and two draws under his name.
Speaking about the Mayweather fight in a recent episode of the Hot Boxing Podcast, Canelo Alvarez looked back at his career and analyzed what he should have done instead of fighting 'Money' at that time.
"No, I would never switch trainers [following the defeat]. I know what happened, and I'm going to be with my trainers for all my life. [I have grown] so much [from 2013 to now]. I always think that I needed to fight first with [Miguel] Cotto, [Erislandy] Lara, and all of those guys, and then Floyd [Mayweather]. But it is what it is. I needed more experience, more maturity," said Canelo Alvarez.
Tyson seemed to concur with the Grand Slam Champion. The former heavyweight boxing legend said there are bouts that help fighters evolve, even if the end result is a defeat.
"Yeah, I agree with that. I don't take that fight like a loss. I take it like I learned," said Canelo Alvarez.
The Mexican boxer made his 44th appearance in the ring against Mayweather when he was only 23 years old and Money was 36. But most of Canelo Alvarez's bouts have been with small-time boxers in lower divisions.
After the defeat, he picked better opponents. Alvarez even fought Miguel Cotto and Erislandy Lara, whom he had given as an example to Tyson.
Who is Canelo Alvarez fighting next?
Canelo Alvarez's next fight has already been announced. The Mexican boxing master will enter the ring on May 8 against British pugilist Billy Joe Saunders.
The 31-year-old Hertfordshire native has a clean record of 30-0, making him the second boxer from the United Kingdom to fight Canelo Alvarez, bringing an unbeaten record in less than a year. The Mexican gave Callum Smith his first defeat in December 2020.
The bout with Saunders will be the third for Canelo Alvarez during the time period of only half a year. He recently fought Turkey's Avni Yildirim.
Alvarez vs. Saunders will have the WBA (Super), WBC, WBO (super middleweight), and The Ring (super middleweight) titles on the line.