Author: Sean Crose

He was arguably the top boxer on Earth in the post-Mayweather era. Canelo Alvarez unilaterally lost to Floyd Mayweather in 2013, but instead of it becoming another victory for Mayweather, the youthful Canelo put his head down, faced challenge after challenge, and ultimately won a slew of titles, untold millions of dollars, and the great respect of countless fans. However, it looks like Canelo’s glory days are in the past. A dominant loss to Terence Crawford last year appears to be the final nail in the figurative coffin containing Canelo’s dominance.

Naturally, these days you’ll see supporters of this sweet science writing down Canelo on social media. Why wouldn’t people like that write him off? Often what they do is belittle the achievements of good warriors. The truth is, however, that Canelo has never been overrated. He really has become such a good fighter. Sure, he went too far when he fought Dimitri Bivol a few years ago. But Bivol was the lithe heavyweight king and the whole thing just seemed too physically taxing for the former Canelo junior middleweight… no matter how great his talent. In fact, Canelo already had his hands full against aging lithe heavyweight contender Sergei Kovalev.

However, Kovalev’s challenge and failure to defeat Bivol did not damage the fighter’s reputation. Canelo simply failed at trying to be even greater than he was before. Even the most cynical fight fan had to admit that to the Mexican star. This was not the case with the loss to Crawford. This marked the end of Canelo’s zenith. Crawford was gaining weight, he wasn’t a baby, and he was believed to be on track to suffer his first loss against Canelo. The fact that Canelo not only lost, but also made it painfully clear that he was no longer a “man” in the hierarchy of the sweet science.

This must be a strange place for Canelo to be in right now. He wasn’t as impressive as he used to be, but he was still undoubtedly capable. It is also worth considering that Canelo is still a relatively youthful man. However, he is a relatively youthful man who has had plenty of fights since childhood. Such things take a toll on a person. If Canelo wrapped it up now, no one would blame them. However, it is challenging for athletes to adapt to normal life after brilliant careers. Canelo is aware of this and that’s why he wants to keep playing.

No doubt someone is competitive, just as Canelo wants a second chance to fight Terence Crawford. However, this is unlikely. Crawford has announced his retirement and appears to be a infrequent exception… a retired great athlete with no interest in returning to the sport he mastered. This may be frustrating for Canelo, but it’s probably a good thing. It’s tough to see him come back and beat Crawford in a rematch.

With that in mind, it seems like Canelo is still a long way from the point where it would be unhappy to see him committing to his career. He may prove otherwise when he fights again later this year, but for now he should still be considered among the top tier of the sport. Not what he was, but still very good. If, of course, this is no longer the case, it would seem that it would actually be better if this man retired. If Canelo has proven anything in this world, it’s that he is his own boss. In other words, he will do as he pleases.

Still, it must feel strange to be at a point in his illustrious career where people will inevitably start to look at his body of work as a whole. He has made his mark on the sport he makes a living in, and people will soon start seeing him in his entirety rather than where he currently is. This may be depressing for Canelo, but it’s also a huge honor. In his time, he was the gold standard of what a professional boxer should be. And if that time has passed, and it certainly has, he can certainly be content that his life’s work will be well remembered. Not many boxers or other athletes can say the same.

Canelo certainly may be in a strange place, but how many former top fighters would want to be in that very place with him right now?