Canelo Alvarez: Fight record, career, boxing legacy

Canelo Alvarez (63-3-2, 39 KOs) is without a doubt one of the greatest boxers of his generation. He has competed with the best opponents and recorded many memorable wins. Defeats have been few and far between, and the Mexican is set to return to boxing on September 12, facing Mbilli for the Cameroonian’s WBC super-middleweight title.

Canelo Alvarez: Pre Floyd Mayweather

Canelo Alvarez suffered his first career defeat against Floyd Mayweather on September 14, 2013. It was a one-sided loss despite one judge somehow scoring it a draw. It was a valuable lesson for Canelo, who, up until that point had only one other blemish on his fight record, a split draw against Jorge Juarez.

Before the Mayweather loss, Canelo had looked imperious at times, scoring impressive wins against Ryan Rhodes and Shane Mosley. He also dominated and took the undefeated record of Austin Trout in the fight before Mayweather.

Gennadiy Golovkin 1 & 2

Canelo had won seven fights in a row when he faced the big-punching, much-feared Kazakh fighter Gennadiy Golovkin. Many felt Golovkin had done enough to win the fight, with him being the aggressor for much of it.

However, the judges were split, with one scoring it 115-113 for Golovkin, while one judge had it 114-114, and the third inexplicably had it 118-110 for Canelo, meaning the fight was declared a split draw.

The two rematched 12 months later, with Canelo edging a majority decision, again drawing controversy. The judge’s scorecards this time read 115-113 x2, and 114-114.

The trilogy fight came in 2022, with Canelo winning by unanimous decision.

Defeat to Terence Crawford

After six consecutive wins, Canelo defended his undisputed super middleweight crown against Terence Crawford on September 13, 2025, at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas.

Crawford boxed superbly throughout, using his slick footwork to move in and out of range, while picking his punches well and frustrating Canelo, who struggled to close the gap and enjoy any sustained period of success.

Crawford even began to sit down on his punches and trade with Canelo as the fight progressed. The judge’s scorecards read 116-112, and 115-113 x2, in favour of the American, who dethroned Alvarez to become the undisputed super middleweight champion. After that defeat, Canelo has made it clear he wants a rematch, but following Crawford’s retirement, that dream looks impossible.

Christian Mbilli and the future

Canelo returns to action on September 12 in Riyadh, challenging Mbilli for his WBC title. This is a huge opportunity for Canelo to regain one of the titles he lost last September. Mbilli will bring the pressure and can punch. It’s imperative that Canelo makes Mbilli miss and counters with power and precision to slow the Cameroon fighter down.

Stay with Big Fight Weekend for the build-up to Canelo Alvarez vs Christian Mbilli, including fight night coverage. Whatever happens in September, Canelo is a bona fide legend of the Sweet Science.