CANELO ALVAREZ STATUE UNVEILED IN BOXING LEGEND’S HOMETOWN

Timothy James

March 18, 2023

A statue honoring boxing icon Canelo Alvarez was unveiled Monday in Juanacatlan, Mexico.

Canelo Alvarez continues to add to his Boxing Hall of Fame ledger – but his hometown didn’t want to wait for his retirement before they honored their local hero.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Saul Alvarez (@canelo)

Canelo is arguably the greatest Mexican boxer of all time and one of the biggest stars in the sport today. He remains the only boxer in history to have unified boxing’s super middleweight titles, in addition to his championship belts at middleweight and light heavyweight. His family moved to Juanacatlan when he was 5.

“It is a great honor for me to be recognized in the place that saw me grow and made me the person I am today,” Alvarez stated on his Instagram. “Thanks to the government of Juanacatlan for this recognition and to all the people who attended.”

Alvarez is currently out of action while recovering from hand surgery, but the Mexican superstar plans to fight early in 2023. “The doctor … checked my hand, and told me that everything is going well,” Alvarez stated while answering questions at the statue unveiling. “I can start to punch with it. So, we will see if it’s [John] Ryder, or if it any other opponent, I don’t mind.”

John Ryder is the current WBO interim super-middleweight champion and one of the most intriguing matchups for Canelo’s return. However, Alvarez has made it clear that he wants to avenge his loss against Dmitry Bivol.

Whoever comes next – the statue honoring Alvarez was well deserved as he continues to carve out his place in boxing history.