Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez became the undisputed super middleweight champion in boxing with victory over Caleb Plant in Las Vegas earlier this month, a win which brought his impressive professional record up to 57-1-2.
Alvarez is the number one pound-for-pound boxer in his sport. He has a huge following, not just in Mexico and the United States, but also around the world. The 31-year-old has posted videos of himself wrestling with fellow boxer Ryan Garcia in the past, which could suggest he’d be open to an appearance in pro-wrestling.
With the AEW continuing to grow as an organization, the signing of Canelo would be huge for the brand. He would appeal to a massive audience, including some of who may never have seen AEW before. It would also be fascinating to see how he would perform.
Canelo has an incredible knockout record in his sport. He has 39 stoppages to his names, including his last three appearances in the ring against Plant, Billy Joe Saunders and Avni Yildirim. That power would make him a dangerous opponent.
Mexican Running Out Of Opponents in Boxing
The primary reason why Alvarez may be looking for new challenges outside of boxing is because he is running out of opponents around his weight division. His success against Plant allowed him to capture the IBF super middleweight crown, the last major belt available to him.
We have seen Alvarez step up in weight to take on Sergey Kovalev in the past and even that was a challenge he was able to pass with ease. That still remains an option for the Mexican as he could fight at light heavyweight again in the near future.
Canelo’s last defeat in the ring came against Floyd Mayweather Jr. That was all the way back in 2013. It’s also a loss which he should not be ashamed of. Mayweather is considered to be one of the greatest boxers of all time and remains unbeaten throughout his career.
Victories against opponents in weight divisions above super middleweight will help him cement his spot at the top of the pound-for-pound rankings. His biggest challenge over the next few months for that position could come from Terrnce Crawford. The unbeaten boxer is fourth on the list, and victory over Shaun Porter, where he is the odds-on favorite in the boxing betting for the bout, may see him move up further in the rankings.
Precedent for Boxers Stepping into Wrestling Ring
Canelo would not be the first boxer to move across to wrestling. The heavyweight champion of the world, Tyson Fury, had a spell in the WWE in 2020. He fought Braun Strowman at the WWE PPV Crown Jewell, beating the wrestling at the PPV.
Mayweather Jr also tried his hand at wrestling. In a contest where there was a huge size difference, the former champion of the world took on the Big Show, knocking out the giant of an opponent to prevail.
If Canelo was to walk away from boxing tomorrow, he would go down as a great. It remains to be seen what is left for him to achieve. The likes of AEW president and CEO Tony Khan are sure to reach out to the boxer in the near future to put a proposal on the table for him.
