Watch: Canelo Alvarez names the toughest opponent of his career to date
Canelo Alvarez is the number one pound-for-pound boxer in the world today. He has a record of 57-1-2, with his sole loss coming to Floyd Mayweather Jr. and his most recent draw against Gennadiy Golovkin.
Alvarez was recently asked who his toughest opponent to date was during an interview released by DAZN. He answered:
"I've had a lot of tough opponents before. But, I can't say just one, but one of them, I think, Mayweather. He's a really skilled boxer with a lot of experience for me at that moment."
Catch the full interview:
Mayweather beat Canelo in 2013 at the MGM Grand Arena. It was a middleweight bout, though Alvarez was a Super Welterweight Champion and Mayweather was a Super Middleweight Champion at the time.
Despite Alvarez already being a tough and talented fighter, Mayweather's ring intelligence, defensive skills, and counterpunching abilities were too high.
A 36-year-old Floyd Mayweather is still the only boxer to beat #Canelo. 🐐https://t.co/sMULXhPdof
Canelo Alvarez vs. Gennadiy Golovkin
Canelo Alvarez faced off Gennadiy Golovkin for the first time in 2017. The bout was a close and hard fight, which ended in a controversial draw decision. It has been claimed by some that Golovkin really won the fight.
With that in mind, it's generally perceived to have been Canelo's toughest bout to date, after the Mayweather defeat.
OTD 2018 - Canelo Alvarez W 12 Gennady Golovkin at T-Mobile Arena, Las Vegas. Wins WBA & WBC Middleweight Titles. Abel Sanchez told Golovkin in the corner he was losing the fight after the 7th. Alvarez: "I feel satisfied because I gave a great fight. It was a clear victory." https://t.co/rWuVQRX3bW
Golovkin was one of the most feared middleweights in the world leading up to the first fight. He had knocked out or stopped 22 of his last 23 opponents, including Curtis Stevens, Kell Brook, David Lemieux, Matthew Macklin, Willie Monroe Jr., and Marco Antonio Rubio.
Alvarez vs. Golovkin I was a tough, back-and-forth bout, but saw a particularly impressive performance from Golovkin, who outlanded Canelo in 10 of 12 rounds. After the controversial draw, a rematch was ordered for May 2018. It was postponed until September after Alvarez was suspended from boxing by the Nevada Athletic Commission after testing positive for a banned substance.
Alvarez won the rematch with Golovkin in a decision that was far less controversial, but still attracted scrutiny from fans.
Alvarez fights this weekend in a light heavyweight title bout against Dmitry Bivol. A victory will set up another bout between the Mexican and Golovkin.