Canelo’s Emotional Post-Fight Reflections Hint at a Possible Retirement Following the Crawford Upset

Canelo Alvarez posted a message on social media today, reflecting on his career achievements and discussing his acceptance of his defeat at the hands of Terence Crawford last Saturday night in Las Vegas.

Canelo’s Emotional Social Post

Although Canelo (63-3-2, 39 KOs) didn’t explicitly mention retirement, the emotional tone sounded much like that. He’s 35 years old and hasn’t performed to the levels that we’d seen from him in the past in recent fights. Canelo’s fortune pre-Crawford was $300 million. With the $150 million for this fight, Alvarez’s net worth is in the range of $450 million. It’s an unreal total for an active fighter.

Canelo, 35, is clearly taking his loss to Crawford (42-0, 31 KOs) hard, and it’s understandable. The Omaha, Nebraska, native essentially moved up three weight classes from 147 to 168 to defeat Alvarez by a 12-round unanimous decision in front of 70,482 fans at Allegiant Stadium. Millions of fans watched the fight on Netflix.

It was predictable that Canelo would lose this fight because he’s shown signs of decline in his last three fights, and appeared slow on his feet in his recent struggle to defeat the mover William Scull earlier this year on May 3. Crawford used the same type of movement and added just enough offense to squeak by by a narrow decision by the scores 115-113, 115-113, and 116-112.

Turki Alalshikh’s Next Move

Turki Alalshikh recently signed Canelo to a four-fight contract with Riyadh Season before his fight against Scull. Canelo now has two fights remaining on his contract. If he doesn’t retire after this defeat to Crawford, it would be a good idea for Turki to select an opponent who has a more engaging fighting style that doesn’t involve a lot of moving.

Why Canelo Needs Sluggers

Canelo has fought two runners in a row in his contract with Turki, and he’s not looked good in either fight. What Alvarez needs are fighters that will allow him to do what he does best, and that’s slugging.

Options for Canelo

• Christian Mbilli
• Hamzah Sheeraz
• Artur Beterbiev