ANNOUNCER:
00:00:01
And still, the undisputed Super Middleweight champion of the world, Saul Canelo Álvarez.
NATE BURLESON:
00:00:16
Saul Canelo Álvarez has reached the pinnacle of boxing. He was the first undisputed Super Middleweight champion and won his first World title at just 20 years old. With more than 60 wins and world titles across four weight divisions, Álvarez is a national icon in his native Mexico. Now, he is preparing for his 69th professional fight. I met with the now, 36-year-old here in New York for an exclusive sit down about what still drives him to fight. For more than two decades, Canelo Álvarez has built a career on proving himself, fighting his way from a small town in Mexico to the top of the sport.
ANNOUNCER:
00:00:55
Álvarez!
NATE BURLESON:
00:00:57
Boxing wasn't just Canelo's path, it was a family affair, with all seven brothers boxing professionally, even setting a Guinness World record for the most siblings to fight on the same professional card. Their father, Santos Álvarez, was at the center of it all, supporting his sons and helping shape their careers. What did you learn from your dad that helped you along your career? Hard worker. Honest. Disciplined. He always working for his family.
NATE BURLESON:
00:01:27
Were there hard times? I don't know. For him-- He never showed you. Yeah, he never showed me.
NATE BURLESON:
00:01:34
He just showed up and worked and provided. Yeah. And I was happy, living my life. Because if I need something, I work for it. If I need a pair of shoes, I go and sell ice cream in the buses. What is it about Mexico that builds these strong men that are relentless warriors? I think the culture.
NATE BURLESON:
00:01:58
The culture. The families, the way they raise us. They're raising men. With a lot of love.
NATE BURLESON:
00:02:07
Yeah, with a lot of love. Of course, a lot of love. But when you need to move your ass, you move your ass.
NATE BURLESON:
00:02:12
He turned pro at just 15, leaving school to pursue boxing, and by 18, he was ready to test himself in the United States. How did you know it was time? Because I feel it. At 17 years old at that time, I already beat everybody in Mexico. So I have to come here to USA and embrace what I hear about all the stories when they come and fight here and everything. And that was my dream.
NATE BURLESON:
00:02:47
Over the course of his career, Canelo captured world titles in four weight classes and made history as the first undisputed Super Middleweight champion.
ANNOUNCER:
00:02:57
Down the stretch, we come.
NATE BURLESON:
00:02:59
But last year, his loss to Terence "Bud" Crawford ended his run as undisputed champion. You don't lose often. No, but I lose. Yeah. What did you learn about, not just yourself as a fighter, but as a man after that loss?
CANELO ALVAREZ:
00:03:15
You cannot change anything. And you cannot control the results. Even if I did everything correct, the things sometimes don't go your way. If there was a big bag of money out there that would entice Bud to come out of retirement, let's just say 75 plus to each of you, would you be up for that rematch? They need a little bit more for me, but-- That's a fact. All right. Let's start with 100 for you. Yeah, we can start with that and negotiate. But yes. Why not? We always, as a fighter, we always want revenge. Right?
NATE BURLESON:
00:04:05
Now, after nearly a year away from the ring following elbow surgery, Canelo is ready for his comeback, facing WBC Super Middleweight champion, Christian Mbilli, in his first fight since the Crawford loss. You haven't been in the ring in a while. We get to see you in the ring. You're always must see TV. Everybody's going to be watching. What can fans expect? I always give my best in the ring, and this is not going to be the exception. I'm going to be prepared for my return. What left is there for you to accomplish? What more is there for you to achieve? You've done it all. I pretty much accomplish everything. Pretty much. So then why are you fighting? Because I love boxing. And if you look back every time I fight, I break some records.
NATE BURLESON:
00:04:56
Yeah, of course. And that's my motivation. They say the hardest thing to do for any athlete, not just boxers, is to walk away. I've seen it in football, see it in basketball, baseball, hockey, you name it. We've seen it with some of the greats, unfortunately. You feel it. Yeah, I feel it. No doubt. I got metal in my knee. Metal in my arm. How do you know when it's time to walk away? How will you know? When I'm there in the gym, and I take a lot of punches, and then my body doesn't respond in the same way, then I know. Because you can see everything in the training camp. Yeah, you can see everything. Everything. You feel everything. You feel how your body responds or not, but I feel good. But it's not much left for me to-- for me, I have other things to accomplish outside of boxing. Shout out to Canelo and his team and also, shout out to the Pebble Bar where we were setting the scene, and I was able to sit down with him. He has accomplished so much and made so much money. But he still has this desire to be great. I always find that fascinating, when guys have done it all and at a certain age they still can't walk away. And he's going to prove that he's at the top of his game in his next fight. Like, he's ready. Yeah. No, he's definitely ready to go. And you can see Canelo Álvarez and Christian Mbilli. They will meet in the ring on October 31. That's right, Halloween. And I said what are you going to do in that ring? He said it's going to get spooky, which is fitting for the 31 of October. All right. Stick around. We have a little bit more show to go. We'll be right back.
