Richard Schaefer reveals Canelo Alvarez had plans to KO Floyd Mayweather
Richard Schaefer recently revealed Canelo Alvarez's plans to knock out Floyd Mayweather in their fight. He mentioned it on DAZN's Road to Greatness documentary about Alvarez.
When the pair met in the ring on September 14, 2013, it was 'Money' Mayweather that walked away with the win. He is still the only fighter to have beaten Canelo Alvarez.
Schaefer stated about Canelo and his team:
"They felt that because of Canelo's power and relentlessness, eventually they're going to catch Mayweather."
At the time, Mayweather was on top of boxing and virtually unbeatable, which is why Alvarez had asked Richard Schaefer for the fight. Canelo was training under Eddy Reynoso at the time and has continued to do so in the years since his loss to Mayweather.
Schaefer continued:
"They knew that they're not going to outbox the wizard of boxing. They really felt there's going to come a point where they're going to catch him, and going to be able to drop him."
Canelo's team was confident that Floyd would make mistakes that they would be able to capitalize on during their fight. On that night, however, he was aware of the stakes at hand, and performed perfectly against Alvarez.
Watch the full video here:
Canelo Alvarez' success following Floyd Mayweather loss
Following the loss to Floyd Mayweather, Canelo Alvarez went on a tear through the roster.
A fighter's first loss is a make-or-break moment for their career in boxing. Those that understand the pain of losing and want to persevere find their drive to keep pushing and get better.
Alvarez did just that.
Amir Khan, a former opponent of Canelo, stated:
"I think that's when we saw the rise of Canelo. He started to win world titles, and then also defend world titles, and unify titles."
Eddie Hearn, a long-time boxing promoter and manager of many fighters, added:
"When you see a Canelo Alvarez fight, it's an event. It's a spectacle to showcase to the world that this guy is the pound-for-pound number one global star of the sport."
Alvarez's expectations that evening in 2013 to drop Floyd Mayweather didn't go according to plan. However, it did set him up to become one of the biggest household names in boxing history.
In a recent Instagram post, Alvarez promoted his upcoming fight with Dmitry Bivol by showcasing his skills in the ring against a former opponent: